For the love of Link & Zelda
by Lovefromlea
Summary: Collection of short stories using 100 different prompts. They vary in length and style. I felt these incarnations of Link/Zelda had the best relationship.
1. I - Dance

**Title: **"Dance"

**Summary: **Link and Zelda share a moment at the Skyloft Academy graduation ball.

**Warnings/Tags: **Romance, Friendship

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to the characters in this story. The characters of Link and Zelda are copyrighted by Nintendo. This is merely a fanfiction.

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"**Dance"**

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The crowded hall silenced as their eyes met for the first time. Their meeting was guided by fate, a hand dealt by the Goddess Hylia herself. Tonight, the Skyloft was alive with energy, the senior students of the knight academy were finally graduating. All of them were to become sky knights, however, not all of them were choosing to stay within the skies of their home.

Zelda turned to her lover, smiling brightly as she took him by the hand, her companion flushed a light pink. Link quickly stared at his brown boots, nervously scratching the back of his hand with a free hand.

"**Would you like to dance?" **she asked, guided him slowly to the center of the hall. The poor boy had no choice, no sooner had she asked he felt the warmth of her hand pull him close. The young blonde placed one hand lightly on his shoulder, with the other she interlocked her slender fingers with his. Link blushed a deeper shade, nodding nervously in reply.

Zelda's smile grew wider, releasing a soft giggle from her peach lips. She stepped closer to her childhood friend, placing her head on his chest as they began to dance slowly. Either of them could quite control the color decorating their cheeks. Link sheepishly placed his shaky hand on her lower back before kissing her softly on the forehead. The blonde looked up at him, their sapphires meeting again. He blushed turning his head to the crowd, but his companion laughed, her beautiful smile appearing on her peach lips once more.

"**You missed Mister Hero," **Zelda teased. Link turned back to face her, raising an eyebrow. The young girl stood on her tiptoes and lightly planted a soft kiss on his lips. He didn't resist, instead, he gave in to the warmth of his body against hers and embraced it, pulling his lover in closer. They pulled away after a minute, both feeling a little more at ease. Zelda placed her head back on his shoulder, dancing away the night together.

For this young hero had finally won the heart of his Princess.

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**Author's note: **This story is very short but short and sweet. I hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review as it really helps me evaluate my own work. This story is updated weekly/fortnightly.


	2. II - Treat

**Title: **"Treat"

**Summary: **Zelda bakes Link a special sweet treat for his birthday.

**Warnings/Tags: **Romance, Friendship, Comedy, Light-hearted.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to the characters in this story. The characters of Link and Zelda are copyrighted by Nintendo. This is merely a fanfiction.

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**"Treat"**

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Zelda stood in the Knight Academy library with a leather-bound journal in her hand, staring at all the different textbooks sitting silently in their case. She was in search of a particular recipe to help her bake the perfect dessert for a certain Hero of Time's birthday. It was early in the morning, just after first light, as she wanted to be out before anyone could witness her studies, namely the jock of the academy Groose. She wanted this to be a perfect surprise. The blonde ran her fingertips across the spine of each canvas-bound book, each one embossed with their names in gold.

"**But what can I make for him?" **she whispered to herself, picking up one book and flicking through the pages. For Christmas, she had presented her lover with a hand-knitted scarf, one he happily wore all winter. But for this special day, she wanted to make something edible and sweet. Because after all, a way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Zelda had spent a couple of hours in the library hunting but was struggling to find the perfect dessert to make. She had hoped an older recipe book would hide a simple but delicious treat, but so far she had no such luck. The blonde picked up her seventh book, in hope, this would be the one. As she flicked quickly through the worn pages, she stopped. Her sapphire eyes widened, unable to take her eyes off the title.

"**This is perfect!" **she squealed but was quickly hushed by the library assistant. She casually held up her hand to apologize then stuck her head back in the book. Zelda smiled, beaming with excitement, **"He's going to love this."** The recipe she was glued to was for a sweet pumpkin pie. But she knew if she wanted this to be perfect she would have to pay a visit to a particular pumpkin chief. Luckily for her, this pumpkin expert lived in the same skies as her home of Sky Loft. Zelda quickly noted down the recipe inside a small leather-bound journal she had brought with her, before placing the vintage book back into its bed and skipping happily out of the library.

Zelda walked outside the Knights academy, the sunlight strong and bright, **"What a beautiful day," **she smiled, dancing down the path towards the plaza, south of Sky loft. As she passes the villagers they all smile, and she waves greeting everyone with kindness. As she reached the plaza, her sapphire eyes fixed upon the wooden bridge leading to a straight drop into the clouds. The young blonde placed her journal inside her satchel, removing a sailcloth ready for her big jump. She tied the printed white cloth around her shoulders like a shawl. She angled herself ready, taking a deep breath before running off the edge of the platform. As she fell into the clouds, she whistled. A large purple bird scooped her onto its back, her loftwing – Plum.

Zelda wrapped her arms around her friends' soft neck, **"Thank you for picking me up," **she smiled, **"Now let's head to Pumpkin landing." **She pointed towards the North West with her right hand. Her loftwing nodded, ascending to the clouds. She flapped her wings hard, as she climbed the sky, but as she reached the desired height she spread her wing feathers to catch the wind. They glided together watching other riders speed past, but they preferred to take their time enjoying the warm open air. Plum turned slightly to her rider for confirmation of their landing.

"**That's the one. Let's head down," **Zelda tightened her arms around her friends' neck, as her loftwing plunged through the clouds towards Pumpkin landing. The descent blew her blonde hair across her face, but she didn't care, instead, she smiled it certainly was a rush. Plum fanned out her wing feathers, like a parachute, as they came close to land. Zelda untied her sailcloth, **"Thank you for the ride, I won't be long," **she nodded to her friend before jumping from her back. The young girl scaled the breeze which lightly carried her to a soft landing. She tucked her sailcloth back into her canvas satchel before entering the Lumpy Pumpkin to meet her expert.

"**Oh, welcome Zelda. It's nice to see you again," **a large man from behind the counter called, **"Don't be shy, make yourself at home".**

Zelda walks over to the counter, **"Thank you, Pumm. It's good to see you too." **She smiled, radiating happiness through the Lumpy Pumpkin.

"**So what can I do for you today, Miss? Perhaps I could interest you in so pumpkin soup?" **he smiled, holding up a ladle ready to serve, **"Made it fresh this morning, and believe me. It's good!" **The young girl shook her head.

"**Thank you, but actually I came here to ask a question," **she twiddled with the ends of her hair.

"**Oh!" **he replied, a little taken back, he returned the ladle to the pot, **"How can I help?"**.

Zelda fished inside her satchel and produced her leather-bound journal, **"Actually I found this recipe for a sweet pumpkin pie. I wondered if I could make it here with assistance". **She handed Pumm the book for him to view the recipe.

He studied the page carefully, **"Hmm. Yes, of course, that is fine. But you will have to harvest the pumpkins yourself, as I'm holding down the fort here. Kina is outside harvesting should you need any help," **he smiled, handed the journal back to his visitor.

"**Thank you," **Zelda nodded returning the book back in her satchel and heading outside to meet his daughter. She was able to find Kina fairly quickly as her father said, the young girl was on her hands and knees removing lush orange pumpkins from their soil beds, **"Hello Kina," **the blonde waved smiling.

The young girl looked up from her work, **"Oh!" **she sounded startled, **"Hello Zelda, can I help you?" **she asked, curious to have a visitor in her small allotment.

"**Actually, I'm here to help you harvest some pumpkins," **she replied, removing her canvas satchel from her body and placing it on the grass before kneeling beside Kina herself.

"**What's the occasion?" **smiled her friend, continuing to remove the vegetables from the soil.

"**What do you mean?" **Zelda asked, picking up some pink gardening gloves.

"**What do you need pumpkins for?" **Kina queried, placing her prized pickings in a wooden basket beside her.

"**Oh! I'm making a sweet pumpkin pie for Link's birthday," **she replied, her pale cheeks turning a little pink.

"**That's a lovely idea, here," **the young girl picked up another lush pumpkin from the soil, offering it to her friend, **"Instead of sitting here with me, take this and get started!" **Her eyes sparkled with joy.

"**Are you sure?" **Zelda replied, taking hold of the pumpkin.

"**Please, I enjoy being outside. Plus it beats making pumpkin soup all day every day," **Kina groaned. The girls broke out in laughter. Zelda got to her feet, handing the pink gloves back to her friend.

"**Thank you," **she bowed, picking up her satchel before leaving Kina to her work. The young girl waved goodbye to the blonde, as she walked back into the Lumpy pumpkin.

Zelda rolled up her pink dress sleeves and tied an apron around her waist. Next, she collected up her equipment and ingredients to create her sweet treat.

"**Let's see now," **she began to talk to herself, reading from her open journal, propped up against a small box, **"Seven hundred and fifty grams of pumpkin," **her sapphire eyes sat upon the fresh orange vegetable from the field, **"Needs to be peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks." **She began prepping her cubes of pumpkin, following the recipe according; peeling the skin of the pumpkin before deseeding and cutting it carefully into medium-sized chunks. She placed the cubes in a large saucepan, adding some water and placing a lid on top, allowing it to simmer for fifteen minutes. After the cooking time, Zelda drained the vegetable from the water and left to cool while she worked on her pasty.

She began by dicing one hundred grams of butter and placing it in a bowl with two hundred and twenty-five grams of flour, **"Now to add a pinch of salt, and rub the flour into the butter with fingertips." **Zelda looked down, **"I'm not looking forward to this," **she squeaked, her hands covered in a paste before it thinned into breadcrumbs. She continued adding two tablespoons of water and mixed again into a firm dough before kneading into a ball.

Zelda sprinkled a little flour on the wooden work surface, then placed her ball of shortcrust pastry on top. She grabbed her rolling pin and began to roll the dough flat before lining a clay tart tins with the thinned pastry. The blonde decided to make three just in case anything was to go wrong and placed the spare pastry in the fridge. Zelda blind baked the tins in the oven for ten minutes to ensure the pastry cooks to a beautiful golden brown. She turned up the heat of the oven and continued to sieve her pureed pumpkin into a bowl.

"**Next I need to combine one hundred and forty grams of sugar, one teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of nutmeg, but grated," **she grated the fresh nutmeg onto a spoon before adding to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients, **"Now, I need to add one teaspoon of cinnamon." **She splashed the spice to the bowl of dry ingredients. She quickly removed the baked tins from the oven and allowed them to cold while she moved onto the pumpkin bowl.

"**Beat two eggs," **she continued to read the recipe aloud beating the fresh eggs with a whisk. Zelda melted twenty-five grams of butter adding it to the eggs with one hundred and seventy-five milliliters of milk, **"Now add to the pumpkin puree," **she smiled folding her fresh orange vegetable with the rest of the ingredients. Zelda poured the mix into one baked tart shell and placed it in the oven to cook for ten minutes. She reduced the temperature and continued to bake for forty-five minutes, but as she waited for the pie to cook, she began to smell smoke and hastily ran to check the oven.

"**It's burning," **Zelda cried, removing the tin from the oven, **"Oh no," **she looked down at the pie, which had burnt almost black. She sighed, **"Best try again." **She smiled through the issue, pouring more mix into another pastry base. As she went to place the second attempt in the oven she tripped, throwing the pie onto the floor.

"**Oh dear," **she cried again, witnessing the mess around her. Zelda picked herself up, and cleaned up the mess before adding the last of the mix in her third and final tart shell, and put in the oven on high heat for ten minutes. She reduced the heat again and continued to bake for thirty-five minutes. During the cooking time, she tidied the kitchen space she borrowed and washed all the equipment. After cooking time, she removed her pie from the oven, it smelt beautiful. She sat it on the side to cool before removing the pie from the tin. To finish she added a mix of cinnamon and icing sugar on top. Zelda had borrowed a small strongbox from Pumm, which she lovingly placed her creation inside, tying it several times over with twine.

"**There, all done," **Zelda beamed with pride, **"I can't wait to give it to Link." ** She thanked the pumpkin expert and waved goodbye, before jumping on the back of Plum for a smooth ride back to Skyloft.

Zelda entered the Skyloft Knight academy and marched straight to Link's room. She knocked softly on his door. To her surprise, the blonde sleepy head answered.

"**You're awake," **she smiled. Her lover nodded, a little confused, **"It's not like you to be up this early." **The boy shrugged and gestured for Zelda to come into his small bedroom. She walked inside with the box in her arms. Link closed his door and sat down at his desk, he had a smile on his lips. Zelda wondered what he was smiling about but looked down and remembered the box.

"**Happy birthday, Link!" **she beamed, handing him the box. He pointed at himself as if to say, _'for me?'_ Zelda nodded, **"Open it." **The blonde opened the box careful, his sapphire eyes widened as they fell upon the delicious-looking pumpkin pie. He outstretched his left hand to his girl.

"**I remembered, you love pumpkins. I thought you might like a special sweet treat for your birthday," **Zelda continued accepting his hand. Link set the pie upon his desk and pulled her in close. They exchanged loving gazes. He placed his right hand up to her cheek smiling. With a kind snigger, he rubbed away the flour that dusted her cheek.

"**Oh, did I have something on my face?" **she squeaked, worried she didn't look her best. Link shook his head, she looked more beautiful than ever, **"Thank you," **she kissed his cheek in return. Link's pale cheeks flushed pink and he turned away embarrassed. Zelda dug deep in her satchel and produced two folks. The couple sat together sharing the homemade pumpkin pie, all the while holding hands.

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**Author's Note: **I wanted this to be light-hearted fun. I always found, when playing the Zelda Titles, pumpkins are everywhere. Surely they must be Link's favorite? Thank you for reading, please leave a review, the comments are always appreciated.


	3. III - Sand

**Title: **"Sand"

**Summary: **

**Warnings/Tags: **Romance, Friendship, Adventure, Action, Light-hearted, Date.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to the characters in this story. The characters of Link and Zelda are copyrighted by Nintendo. This is merely a fanfiction.

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"**Sand****"**

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"**It's just as I remembered," **Zelda jumped off the back of her loftwing. She was dressed in a cerise tunic with natural cotton trousers paired with brown leather gloves and boots. Her blonde hair tucked under a matching hat, with pastel pink and green ribbons tied in a crisscross pattern in her side bangs. The young girl walked into the sandy ground of the Lanayru desert, the sun shining strong. Close behind her was Link, wearing his distinct outfit that mimicked hers, all except his tunic and hat was dyed a deep green.

**"It's such a beautiful day," **she turned to face her companion beaming with joy. Link nodded. Their loftwings began to take flight, leaving their riders to enjoy their day away from the Skyloft. The couple waved goodbye to their friends before Zelda grabbed his hand and lead him further into the sand.

They walked for a little while through the sand, hand in hand until their sapphire eyes fall upon the Temple of Time in the distance. The huge stone crest, eroded with age, stood proud at the north of the derelict Lanayru mines. Zelda loosened her grip on her companions' glove, her smile quickly faded. The last time she stood in this place she was forced to be separated from Link again. The evil Ghirahim had tracked her down, but luckily her hero had come to her rescue. As Impa hurried the girl into the Gate of time, the dirty blonde managed to secure their escape by distracting the enemy. Link looked down at their now separated hands, his face dropped in worry. He tilted his head to catch a glimpse of his girls' beautiful face, but her left glove had covered her mouth, her sapphires watering. He took a step closer to his love, placing his hand under her pale chin to lift it slowly. Their eyes met.

**"I'm okay," **Zelda forced a smile with tears streaking down her soft cheeks. But Link refused to believe this, he pulled her into a loving embrace wrapping his right arm around her back and his left on her cheek. He shook his head.

**"Nothing gets past you," **she let out a muffled giggle, nuzzling her face into his warm chest. Link let out a little grunt in agreement. The dirty blonde male placed a soft kiss on her forehead before slowly pulling out of the embrace. She wiped her eyes, and he took held out his right glove. Zelda smiled, taking his hand, **"Lead the way."**

They walked slightly deeper into the Lanayru desert and came to a clearing. A vase dip in the sand stretched on as far as the eye could see. They slowly descended the small hill to explore the scenery a little more. As they reached the bottom, they were able to make out what the specks were from a high point. Wooden remains of crates, poles and even a boat sat half-buried in the sand.

**"Link," **Zelda turned to him, **"What is this place? I never saw this when I was here before with Impa," **she cried. Link gestured at his bow and quiver sitting patiently on his back. Zelda released his hand for him to get at the equipment. The hero gently removed the weapon from his back, positioning an arrow in the sacred bow before taking aim at a large blue crystal on a pole above. The stone spearhead crashed into the stone, the hit causing it to alight.

As if by magic, the sand they stood on shook. Link hurried his girl onto the wooden pier that sat beside them. The couple watched as the sandy bank became flooded with a beautiful blue ocean. Zelda's sapphires widened in disbelief.

**"Was that a time crystal?" **she continued to stare. She caught sight of a small boat, that was half-buried in the sand, had risen from the water and revealed its full glory – a beautiful wooden ship. On the deck sat a small robot, just like Scrapper who Link had found during his journey. This particular robot was wearing a little pirate hat.

The young man was a little taken back, staring at his girl thoughtfully, _'How could she possibly know about the time crystals?' _But then he remembered, she had spent a lot of time with Impa, the faithful guardian of the Temple of Times' younger self. It wouldn't have surprised him if they had spent their whole journey moving around through the Gate of Time with the assistance of these crystals.

Zelda tugged on her companion's tunic sleeve, pointing her left index finger up at the little robot, **"Isn't he cute!" **she squealed, running onto the deck. Link let out a loud grunt as he was hauled onto the ship. The little robot stretched out his electric blue arms, opening his mouth, a little like a yawn. He looked like he had just woken up from a long nap, slowly moving about on the deck a little bewildered.

**"Hello there," **the blonde crouched to his level, but he continued his duty checking the ship ignoring her. She puffed out her cheeks, a little disheartened that her 'new friend, the cute robot' wouldn't reply to her. Link walked past her side and chased the robot around the wooden deck, but the robot had soon caught on he was being followed. He turned around slowly, his tired eyes falling upon the towering male.

**"Brrzrrt! **he jumped back, startled. He examined the tall, dirty blonde male once more and a lightbulb suddenly went inside his head. He was the kid from before, the one hunting for Nayru's flame! **"Hello again" **he gave a static wave sheepishly.

**"Who are you?" **Zelda stood approaching her companion's side.

**"Who am I, brrzrrt?" **he asked looking at Link, wondering if he'd not informed his lady of his travels across the Lanayru sand sea, **"I am the proud skipper of the ship that used to protect Nayru's flame, phweep!" **The blonde woman laughed at his little beeping and buzzing noises, she thought they sounded adorable.

**"Nice to meet you, Skipper," **she smiled, the robot returned the politeness by taking off his hat and bowing slightly, **"I assume you and Link traveled together some time ago." **The robot looked at his old friend in green then back to the blonde.

**"We searched for my missing ship, luckily this lad found it, vrrm! Oh, and he got the Nayru's flame back, phoo-weep!" **Skipper replied.

**"I'm glad Link was able to help," **she continued to smile but dropped quickly when an idea popped into her head.

The hero turned to look at his girl, _'What was she thinking?' _he thought.

**"Skipper, can you take us on a tour around the Lanayru sand sea, please?" **Zelda suggested, pointing north.

**"Brrzrrt, I can. Consider it a thank you, Lad, for all your help before, vrrm!" **the robot replied dashing to the ship's helm. He grabbed onto the wheel. Link quickly wrapped his right arm around her waist and clutched onto the wooden frame as they pulled away from the shore.

They sailed through the Lanayru sand sea at a moderate pace, a gentle breeze whistled through their hair. The sun slowly began to set on the horizon, the skies burning a soothing orange. This was truly the most romantic date the couple had shared. Nothing could spoil this moment, or so they thought.

A loud thud broke the silence, the ship shook, knocking the crew off balance. Link whipped his head round to where the noise came from but instead came face to face with a previous foe. He grabbed Zelda, forcing her behind him.

**"Link, what's going on?" **She asked, following his glare. She let out a tiny scream, her sapphires fell upon a skeleton pirate. One hand armed with a heavy iron sword, the other was replaced with a rusted hook. She could see Link's face, his brows frowning, he had clearly met him before. Scervo took to the floor, grinning darkly at his foe as he sharpened his blade against the hook.

The hero immediately drew his master sword and sacred shield, reading himself into position. Zelda joined Skipper on the upper deck, helping the robot to his feet. Link lunged at the skeleton, swiftly dodging a jab from his sword and taking a swing at his back. The pirate winced in pain, arching his spine. But Link didn't stop there, he continued circling his foe dealing several swings with his sword and a few shield bashes in for good measure. Scervo looked defeated, but in the last effort at the edge of the ship, he swung his sword at Link. The hero threw up his sacred shield, the iron weapon crashed hard against its surface. The young swordsman's knees crouched under the weight. It was almost unbearable.

**"Link, you can do it!" **screamed Zelda from the upper deck, **"I believe in you!" **This was all the motivation he needed to deliver the final blow. Link stretched out his legs, returning to his full height, pushing his entire body weight against the shield. The strength of the young swordsman pushed Scervo to the edge of the ship.

The hero put all his strength into one final push, "**Hhnngg" **he grunted, successfully sending the skeleton overboard and to the deep depths of the Lanayru sand sea. Link grunted with a smile, proud of himself. He took his sword, cutting the air before returning it to his scabbard with his shield.

Zelda hurried down from the top deck to join Link's side. She jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around this neck. He placed his gloves around her waist, spinning her around with joy. The blonde woman smiled with glee, as they came so a soft halt. Their sapphires met, gazing at one another. Zelda rubbed her soft nose against his, he replied politely kissing her on her peach lips. A smile fell upon her as she accepted. They stayed in their warm loving embrace as the sun set to night. Zelda pulled away slowly, with a smile on her lips.

**"My hero," **she giggled as they sailed into the night.

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**Author's Note: **For this prompt, I wanted to show off a little more romance between Link and Zelda. My favorite place in Skyward Sword was the Lanayru desert and sea. I thought it would be romantic if Link took Zelda out on the ship he discovered on his adventure. Please leave a review or any comments of things you would like to see in the next prompts. Thank you for reading.


	4. IV - Salt

**Title: **"Salt"

**Summary: **Zelda is tasked with creating a menu for the Skyloft Graduation Ceremony and ropes Link into taste-testing, but it doesn't quite go to plan.

**Warnings/Tags: **Romance, Friendship, Cookery, Light-hearted, Comedy

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to the characters in this story. The characters of Link and Zelda are copyrighted by Nintendo. This is merely a fanfiction.

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"**Salt"**

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Zelda stood in the Skyloft Academy kitchen, her cerise sleeves rolled up, her blonde locks tied back, and a small apron wrapped around her small waist. She had been given special permission by her father to use the academy kitchen to practice her cookery skillset. The student had been tasked to present a menu for the next graduation ceremony, so naturally, she decided to rope her lover Link into helping with the taste testing of each dish.

In the weeks leading up to today, Zelda had dragged him to the library most days to research new and exotic dishes. Most of the time she found Link would find a chair down one of the shelving aisles and fall asleep in the time it took her to collect everything she needed. While she was thrilled her lover was supportive, she did wonder if he enjoyed being dragged about to the library every-other night and gently forced into taste-testing her cookery creations.

Trial and error had always been Zelda's best asset, as a naturally clumsy person, particularly in the kitchen. She recalled the time she had baked Link a sweet pumpkin pie for his birthday, it had taken a least three attempts to perfect. She sighed to herself, checking off the ingredients she had previously laid out with her notes, listed in a leather-bound notebook. Link watched as she counted, studying the way her face creased with concentration. A happy smile appeared on his lips, and she turned to check on him.

The blonde's cheeks flushed crimson, **"What are you looking at me like that for, Link?"** she cried, checking herself over. The boy laughed shaking his head, reassuring his princess that was nothing to be concerned about. Zelda let out a little huff, sounding more like a squeak. Link gave her a worried smile and waved his arms towards her. He loved looking at his girl, he believed she was the most beautiful girl in the whole of Skyloft, if not further afield.

She met his smile with hands-on-hips, **"Whatever you're thinking, it better be something nice,"** she gave him a little giggle. The noise made his heart skip a beat. Link nodded in reply frantically.

"**Right then, let us begin. Are you ready?" **Link gave her a single nod, **"Then let us begin," **Zelda beamed with confidence as she began measuring her ingredients. She began with her dessert course, being the most time consuming of the three. The student was particularly proud of the last pie she had baked and decided on making something similar. To celebrate their village of Skyloft, Zelda had chosen to use the native fruit that bore the trees, juicy red apples. Naturally sweet in flavor, they were perfect to use for a pie.

Zelda mixed her ingredients together to create a soft dough, before kneading and rolling into a thin sheet. She carefully lined three baking tins with the pastry, leaving a little leftover, **"Always better in threes," **she smiled at her companion. Link raised an eyebrow, what had she not told him, **"Speaking of my last encounter with a pastry dish, of course." **Link nodded at her reply and continued to watch her work intrigued.

The blonde placed the trays in the oven to blind bake, before returning to her work station. She began peeling and de-coring the apples. She handed one to Link with a spare knife, **"Say Mister Hero, would you mind helping?" **she smiled sweetly. Her companion blushed to accept her gift and began to copy her. Zelda beamed, it was lovely for him to assist with her work, making it enjoyable for the pair of them. The student chopped the apples into small cubes before placing them into a bowl. She combined a spoonful of flour with a sprinkle of cinnamon to the apple chunks, mixing it well. Zelda moved to the oven to check the progress of the pastry shells, all three had darkened to a beautiful brown, perfect. She removed them from the oven, carefully setting them to one side to cool before moving onto her main course – baked salmon fillet. Zelda was lucky, Link had offered, in his own special way, to catch a couple of salmon so she wouldn't have to worry about sourcing the fish. Due to her sensitivity to animals, her father had asked the academy cook to pre-fillet the salmon before Zelda started her prep. She was thankful for all the assistance she had received in the making of her menu.

She began by lightly seasoning her salmon fillets with crushed rock salt, before placing inside a terracotta tray. Zelda added some fresh local herbs and a few slices of zesty lemon. The student placed the tray into the oven, allowing it to cook slowly on a lower heat. She picked up a potato and held it up to Link, "**Would you mind peeling these for me, please?"** Link outstretched his hands, taking a hessian bag from his companion before peeling the potatoes. This allowed Zelda to return her attention back to pastries. She lightly touched each shell, ensuring they had fully cooled. She smiled, happy with the outcome of the three, they had turned out a lot better than her previous attempts. Practice makes perfect! Zelda carefully scooped a little of the apple mix into each pastry shell. She went back to the leftover pastry, kneading and rolling into a thin disk. Carefully she cut the soft pastry into strips and began creating a lattice over the apple base. Once she was happy with her work, she returned the three trays to the oven to bake.

Zelda returned to Link's side, watching him peel the final potato. He looked up at her smiling, holding out a bowl of freshly peeled potatoes, **"Thank you," **she kissed his cheek, taking the bowl from his hands. The blonde began chopping the potatoes into quarters before adding them to a large pot. She then filled the same pot with water and placed it onto the stone stove. Zelda allowed the potatoes to boil away while she returned to the oven to remove her pies. She carefully placed them upon the granite counter, the sweet smell of cinnamon and apple wafted in her companion's direction. Link placed a finger to his lip, drooling slightly. They smelt heavenly. The hero outstretched his hand towards the hot pies but was immediately batted away by a wooden spoon. He quickly withdrew his hand, his mouth hung open in surprise.

Zelda shook her head at him, **"Please wait a little longer, Link. I'm almost finished," **she pleaded, knowing full well how desperate he was to sample the food. Her companion huffed, rubbing his sore hand as his stomach began to growl. He chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. Zelda folded her arms across her chest, pretending to be angry, however, she couldn't keep up the charade for long, breaking out into her own giggle, **"Not long now," **she smiled grabbing hold of some large mushrooms. Zelda twisted the storks from the cups before washing them underwater. She ushered Link to a cupboard, he followed her hand, taking out another baking tray and handing it to his companion before taking his seat once more.

The student placed the freshly washed mushroom cups in the tray, she drizzled a little oil on top before adding a circle of goat's cheese in the center. Zelda topped the mushrooms with a pinch of fresh herbs and a few handfuls of breadcrumbs before putting in the oven to bake. While she waited, the blonde gathered some plates ready to dish up her menu. After ten minutes, everything was cooked to perfection – or thereabout. Zelda first plated the mushroom starter, setting them to one side as she went to drain the potatoes. Link assisted her by taking it upon himself to set the table ready with cutlery, glasses and a jug of freshwater.

"**Thank you," **Zelda smiled plating up the last of the menu, with her companion's assistance they carried all the plates to the table. They sat down together, the hero's mouth already watering, **"May I?"** The blonde asked waving a hand at the plates of food. Link nodded kindly.

"**To start we have a goat's cheese stuffed mushroom with a herb crust. For main a baked salmon with potatoes and vegetables, and to finish the menu we have a baked apple pie with honey cream," **Zelda explained pointing at each dish as she spoke. Her companion lapped up her every word, his mouth salivating.

"**Please tuck in," **she gestured to her partner. Link did exactly as told cutting into his mushroom cap, the melted cheese oozed from the center. He stuffed a cut chunk into his mouth, chewing quickly without realizing how hot the cheese was. He grabbed his water, consuming the full glass.

Zelda loving placed her hand onto his arm, **"Maybe you should slow down a little," **she smiled sweetly before returning to her own meal. Link nodded, his cheeks resembling a hamster. His companion giggled softly. The starter went down perfectly, this was the recipe she would use for the graduation ceremony. The pair pushed their plates to one side before pulling the main course in front of them.

"**Admittedly," **Zelda began looking at the dish in front of her, **"I was nervous about cooking the salmon. Every book I read on cooking it suggested how terribly it can go," **she waved her hand allowing her companion to tuck it. They both started on the potatoes, boiled and seasoned to perfection. The vegetable medley also went down a storm, but the problems rose when Link took a bite of his baked salmon. After taking the first bite his face twisted but he continued to tuck into his meal. The hero took a few more bites, Zelda watched inspecting her fish, _had she cooked it wrong?_ Link began to cough, the color in his cheeks faded.

"**Link," **Zelda place her hand lovingly on his arm, noticing the change in his face, **"Is everything okay?"** He replied by shaking his head, his stomach lurching. His companion refilled his glass of water and he immediately snatched it to drain the contents. He let out a sigh of relief, his stomach returning to normal. Link let out a small burp, apologizing to his partner. Zelda continued to ponder about her fish and decided to take a bite for herself. She coughed as soon as she swallowed the fish, it was far too salty.

"**I'm sorry," **Zelda cried hanging her head, **"I didn't realize I had over seasoned the fish."** Link placed a hand on her arm to reassure her. '_Accidents happen' _he thought smiling at her. She nodded in reply.

"**Should I leave the fish off the menu?" **she asked. Her companion shook his head and made a gesture with his hand, **"You're right, Link, less seasoning next time is a simple fix," **she smiled gazing up at him, **"Shall we move onto dessert?" **Link smiled nodding his head like a dog and licking his lips.

Zelda moved the previous meal to one side before placing the dessert plates in front of the pair of them. She gestured for the final time this evening and allowing her companion to begin his course. After his first bite, he was in love, savoring every mouthful he took. She smiled at him happy to know after a disaster of the main course she could still win him over with a sweet treat. The student began tucking into the dessert herself, the cream tasted beautifully silky with a hint of sweetness from the honey. She let out a little hum as she ate, happy with the outcome of the cream. Zelda moved on to her apple pie, a little hesitant after her previous pumpkin fiasco. She looked over to her companion, he was happily chowing down on the pastry without any negative reviews. She took a small bit of the pie, the pastry was baked a lovely golden brown, sweet and crispy in texture. Inside the baked apple had become soft, the juice oozing into an almost sauce, and mixed with the cinnamon had a sweet taste but with a slight tang of cinnamon.

"**The dessert came out lovely. I'm glad I choose something a little different," **Zelda smiled pushing her plate to one side before she placed her head on her hands, **"How did you find it?" **she asked. Link lifted his head away from the plate, his cheeks were puffed out again, full of food. He swallowed his mouthful and grinned his companion. He rubbed his now full belly and nodded.

"**Glad you enjoyed it, Mister Hero," **she teased. Even though she had a little disaster with the baked salmon for the main course and she did feel sorry that Link had leaped straight into his meal without tasting a small piece first. But that was Link, whenever food appeared, he would always jump straight it, enjoying every mouthful. Zelda was very pleased with herself, she had chosen the correct person to trial her menu on. The couple sat at the table a little longer, holding hands and savoring their time together.

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**Author's Note: **I promise this will be the last cookery-related story I write for this prompt challenge. I only realized after finishing this one that I had written two cookery-related stories in a row. This ends now, I hope at least. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this story. As always leaving a comment or review helps with my writing and is always appreciated.


	5. v - Chip

**Title: **"Chip"

**Summary: **Link and Zelda take an old tech chip to the market to trade for something special.

**Warnings/Tags: **Romance, Friendship, Light-hearted, Barter, Market, Trading

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to the characters in this story. The characters of Link and Zelda are copyrighted by Nintendo. This is merely a fanfiction.

* * *

"**Chip"**

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The sun shone brightly over the village of Skyloft, its light illuminating the windows of the academy. In one room of the school, Zelda has risen from her slumber. She stretched out her arms above her head, then reached for her toes. A wake-up stretch always removed any aches or pains from sleeping. She pushed herself off the edge of the bed, taking small steps towards her window. The soft cotton curtains were still drawn, shielding the light from her eyes. Zelda placed her hands either side and pulled the curtains apart gently, the sunlight radiated on her pale skin, the warmth coloring her cheeks.

"**What a beautiful day," **she smiled, taking a deep breath of the warm summer air. She released the curtains and turned away from the sun. Zelda began walking to her wardrobe when she heard a soft knock at her door. Surprised, she stopped staring at the door wondering who could be behind it. It couldn't have been Link, he never got up before her. She winced, hoping and praying it wasn't the school jock Groose. She really didn't want to deal with his rumblings about how gorgeous he found himself this early in the morning. Abandoning her mission to the wardrobe, she decided to first answer the caller. Zelda twisted the brass knob, taking a short breath before opening the door quickly.

"**Hello?" **She spoke, looking out into the corridor. Her companion Link appeared at the doorframe, a small bouquet of handpicked daisies in his hand, and a little mud covering his face.

"**Oh, it's you!" **Zelda giggled, a little taken back he had got up before her, **"I didn't think you would be up this early. Usually, I'm the one waking you up." **It suddenly dawned on her that not once in the time she had known him, had he woken up before her. She was just about to accept his gift of daisies when something occurred to her. _Was he an imposter? _Surely not, she argued with herself, shaking her head. Link placed his hand on her arm, to ask if she was okay.

"**I'm fine, Link," **she reassured him, smiling. Her companion pointed at her garments, blushing slightly. Zelda looked down and remembered she had still been dressed in her nightclothes. She blushed, disappearing behind the door, **"Could I have a moment of privacy, please?" **Link nodded. His companion quickly closed the door, he stood silently in the corridor catching sight of himself in a mirror. He sighed loudly at himself desperately trying to scrub the little dirt specks off his face.

Inside her room, Zelda slumped against the door taking another deep breath. Her cheeks were flushed a pinkish hue with embarrassment. She picked herself up and walking over to her wardrobe. She opened the doors and her sapphire eyes fell upon her favorite cerise dress.

"**Perfect," **she smiled removing it from the rail. Zelda quickly got dressed, so to not leave her companion waiting too long. She checked her appearance in the mirror, **"Missing something," **she sighed looking around her bedchambers. Her eyes fell upon her handmade sailcloth, **"Perfect!" **she smiled, tying it like a shawl.

When she was ready, the blonde re-opened to the door to find her lover scrubbing frantically at his cheek. She squeaked, **"Link, let me." **She pleaded to him, removing a small cloth from her satchel. He stood frozen on the spot while she gently rubbed away the dirt. She smiled, kissing the spot she had just cleaned. Link blushed, handing her the small bouquet of daisies. Zelda gave them a sniff, **"Thank you, Link."** She smiled taking his hand.

"**Oh!" **Zelda remembered her plan today, **"Could we possibly go to the market today?"** she looked up at her companion. Link nodded in reply, he also had planned to go to the market, to sell some wares he had picked up on his travels.

The couple walked hand in hand to the Bazaar, it was a large structure situated in the center of Skyloft, covered with a checked tarp roof. They entered the market through an opening in the curtain. Inside was dimly light with small glass jars, each housing a burning candle inside. It was like a gathering of tiny fireflies. Between the two of them, they had agreed to first with the Item Shop owner, Rupin to sell Link's found treasures from his adventures. They approached his stall with caution, knowing full well the shop keeper hated to keep up the 'nice guy' routine every day.

"**Be careful, Link," **Zelda placed a hand on his arm. She was concerned after his last attempt to barter with Rupin had resulted in him storming out of the market and leaving her behind. Link gave her a single nod in reply before marching up to the Item Shop, his satchel full of treasure. His companion followed slowly behind, taking her time to greet each person in the market before re-joining him.

Zelda had just reached the Item Shop when she heard its owner yelling. Her elven ears pricked up when she overheard her companion's name. She returned to his side, taking hold of his arm. Link gave her a sideward glance with a stern look across his face to acknowledge her.

"**Monster tentacles and guts again, really?" **Rupin sighed, holding the brown leather satchel in his hands. He was rummaging through, picking out an item at a time to inspect it. Clearly not impressed by the monster entrails he had been presented with. Link grunted in reply, understanding his disappointment.

"**How is it going, Link?" **Zelda asked, giving his arm a gentle tug, hoping this would ease a little of the tension. The shop keeper snapped his head from the satchel to look at her, trying his best not to snap out of his 'nice' routine. Her companion glanced at her once more and nodded towards Rubin.

"**Not well. It appears your friend here seems to think monster parts are a treasure of some sort. While these things are good as components in many potions, I myself have no real use for them," **the shop keeper replied, trying his best to keep up the charade. He laid the entire contents of the satchel across his desk. Zelda could see why Rupin was less than impressed to receive such a haul. Monster guts, teeth, horns, and other entrails were littered on the surface. She clutched her mouth; a faint yet revolting stench turned her stomach.

"**What is the best price for this all?" **she queried, coughing on each word.

Rupin looked the wares up and down, thinking before speaking, **"Probably seventy-five rupees." **Link let out a groan, shaking his head as he placed his hands on his hips, **"Unless there is something you have worthy of my time, that is my final offer." **Link shrugged, producing two small stones and a computer chip from his pocket. He held out his hand for the keeper to inspect.

"**Huh?" **Rupin replied, a little taken up as he peered at the stones, **"If I'm not mistaken that there is a ruby," **he pointed to the beautiful red stone, glittering in the candlelight, **"Quite rare to find on the surface. And that," **he pointed to the second, slightly larger stone in a golden hue, **"Is a gold ore. And this," **Rupin picked up the computer-chip, turning it over, **"Is worthless to me."**

He took a deep breath before continuing, **"The rest would fetch a high price – say two hundred rupees, including the monster entrails."**

Link and Zelda both looked at each other, they knew exactly what the other was thinking – Rupin was lowballing them. They nodded to each other before Link ushered Zelda to speak. He closed his hand and placed the valuable stones and chip back into his pocket for safe-keeping.

"**Just the monster parts to sell please, Rubin," **Zelda spoke softly.

"**Are you sure you don't want to part with those stones, my dear?" **he asked darkly under his breath, clutching tight of the leather satchel still.

"**Quite, thank you," **she replied sharpish, holding out a single hand.

"**Fine," **the shop keeper grunted, unhappy with the sale, **"Take this." **Rupin produced a small burlap sack tied with a green string and handed it to the girl. She weighed it in her hand, checking every rupee was accounted for. Zelda passed these straight to Link and waited to receive his satchel back.

"**Thank you," **she smiled as Rupin returned the bag, **"Pleasure doing business."** She turned to walk away but the shop keeper placed a hand on her arm.

"**Please," **he begged quietly, **"Please don't let him bring me those horrid monster parts again," **he coughed. Zelda nodded, she could only try and talk Link into choosing a more appropriate vendor to sell these things too.

She returned to her companion's side, placing a hand on his arm, **"Shall we go?" **she asked gently. Link replied, shaking his head, instead, he pointed over at the Scrap Shop ran by Gondo. She nodded letting him lead the way. They approached the counter expecting the tinker to greet them himself but instead saw a small robot snoozing on the desk.

"**Hello?" **Zelda asked, softly tapping the creature on his head.

The robot awoke with a startle, looking around the market bewildered before looking down at the couple. His eyes narrowed, **"Oh, it's you Master Shortpants, bzzrt." **Clearly annoyed by his rude awakening. Link flushed a bright pink and narrowed his brow and grunt. _Still hasn't kicked the nickname then, _he thought to himself.

"**Master Shortpants?" **his companion asked, looking up at Link. He replied with his usual goofy smile, scratching the back of his head. She had pieced together that the two of them had traveled together in the past, a time when she had no been around. Zelda sighed, but looked up at her partner to smile at him once more, **"What a funny name."**

"**Hey!" **the three of them heard calling from behind the curtain. The voice was soon followed by the tinker himself – Gondo. He greeted the pair with a small wave and turned to his robot friend, **"Now Skipper, be more kind to our guest."**

"**Bzzrt," **the small robot grunted carrying himself off the counter and into the back room.

"**Ack, sorry for him. What can I do for you both?" **he queried, embarrassed by his assistant's behavior.

"**Actually, I have no idea. Link?" **she asked turning to her companion. He produced the small ruby stone and the gold ore from his pocket before placing it on the wooden counter in front of him.

Gondo peered closer at the stones, eyeing them up with his goggles, **"Whoa," **he shouted, taking a closer look, **"These are really something, lad. So, what gear do you want me to upgrade?" **the tinker asked. Link shook his head in reply, instead, he went back to his trouser pocket, having a good rummage before producing a slip of paper. He handed this to Gondo to inspect.

"**Ooh, yes" **the tinker smiled, **"This is something I can make." **He returned the paper to its owner, **"But it won't be cheap, have you enough rupees?" **Gondo enquired, not wanting to deter business, but asked as a concerned acquaintance of the hero. Link nodded, giving a thumbs up to tinker. Zelda watched as her companion pulled out the old computer-chip, Rupin had assured them was worthless. Being a man who collected all sorts of junk, Link believed he was the right man to show this chip too.

"**Whoaa," **Gondo jumped, readjusting his goggles to a magnifier before taking a second look. He took the computer-chip from the hero's hand and inspected it, turning it over multiple times as not to miss any small detail, **"Most people would think this is junk, but this is an advanced piece of tech from centuries ago. Hard to pinpoint the exact date, but I'd say around Skipper's time, possibly?" **He spoke, clearly engrossed by the small treasure Link had found.

"**So," **Zelda cut in, **"It isn't a worthless piece of junk?" **she queried, remembering the comment from Rupin's appraisal.

Gondo snapped his head up from his inspection, a little taken back from the comment, **"Worthless?" **he repeated, **"No way, this is a priceless piece of tech, lass." **The tinker then turned to her companion, **"Sure you want to part with this? I'd be happy to make the item you requested in exchange?" **Link nodded to agree.

Gondo was shocked at his response but began gathering his tools from under the counter, **"If you're sure, I will get right to it. Can you give me a couple of hours?" **he asked the couple, prepping his workspace.

"**Of course," **Zelda replied, taking hold of Link's arm, **"We will grab something to eat in the café whilst we wait," **she suggested to her companion. His stomach growled in reply, Link pulled his infamous goofy grin scratching the back of his head, nodding.

"**See you, folks, later," **Gondo raised a hand to wave as the couple turned to leave.

The couple returned to the Repair stall a few hours later, well refreshed with their stomachs full. Zelda had insisted to her companion to purchase something for Gondo, considering he had spent the afternoon making a commission for Link. She had pondered on what it could have been but refused to pry on her partner for answers. She knew he would share it when it was finished.

When the couple reached the counter, they found it absent of the tinker yet again. Thankfully Skipper wasn't there to greet them a second time, Link couldn't bear to be called names again by the robot, instead, a small silver bell sat on the wood. Zelda rung the bell without hesitation, the tinker Gondo appeared from the curtain shortly after.

"**Hey!" **he waved at the young couple, **"Enjoyed your lunch?" **he enquired rummaging around his desk for something.

"**It was lovely, thank you," **Zelda smiled, remembering her purchase, **"Actually we brought you back a little something." **She handed the tinker a small cloth bundle wrapped in twine.

"**Thank you both. It's appreciated," **Gondo grinned rubbing his stomach, **"Don't get much time to eat when I work. Married to the job," **he joked taking the bundle from the girl before returning to finish up his commission. He tinkered a little more, presenting Link with a carved wooden box, resembling that of a Goddess chest.

Zelda's mouth dropped, **"That's beautiful," **her sapphire eyes glittering at the craftmanship. The hero nodded, he was happy with the result. He gave Gondo a quick thumbs up before taking the box for himself.

"**Take a look before you leave, let me know what you think," **the tinker suggested, eager to discover what the young hero thought of his work. Link nodded, giving his companion a suggestive look. Zelda sighed, turning away from him as he took a quick peek.

Satisfied with the item inside the Goddess box, Link gave Gondo a second thumbs up. The tinker let out a hearty laugh, **"Thanks Lad, it was a pleasure. You kids enjoy yourself," **he beamed waving the couple goodbye.

The hero turned to his companion, taking her arm and guiding her from the bazaar. They were greeted by a clouded blue sky, the air still warm but slightly cooler than before. Link ushered his companion under a nearby apple tree, gesturing her to take a sit on the stone wall. Zelda compiled, taking a sit beside him.

"**Pray tell, hero. Are you going to share this secret commission?" **she asked politely, watching the Skyloft knights practicing in the distant skies. Link nodded, taking her hand. He placed the small replica Goddess box into her palm, **"Oh," **she gasped. Zelda hadn't even considered the possibility that the gift could have been for her.

"**May I?" **she asked, pointing to the clasp. Link nodded, gazing at his companion lovingly. Zelda fiddled with the clasp, opening the wooden box carefully. Inside sat a beautiful filigree cage necklace encasing a single heart-shaped ruby. The craftsmanship was stunning, Zelda smiled, a small tear in her eye, **"It's beautiful. Thank you, Link." **She pulled the boy into an embrace, planting a soft kiss on his lips. Link didn't hesitate, instead, a smile appeared on his lips as he kissed her back passionately. They broke apart to take a breath. Link gestured to Zelda, she passed him the wooden box. He removed the necklace from its cushion, his companion held her blonde hair to the side as he began fastening the jewelry around her neck.

Zelda let her locks fall, placing her hand on her locket, **"It is a beautiful gift, thank you again." **Her lover shook his head, _no thanks needed, _he smiled at his commission. Link had designed the necklace himself, spending hours on end sketching the perfect piece before adventuring out to the Lanayru mines to find the right materials. All his hard work was worth it, just to see his girl smile.

Zelda laid her head on her companion's shoulder. He took her hand in his and together they watched the Skyloft Knights train with their loftwings in the sky.

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**Author's Note: **This prompt was a little longer than what I have written previously but I quite like it. The necklace is inspired by the heart container gamers can find in any Legend of Zelda title. I plan to continue adding these little nods to the game franchise in upcoming prompts. As always thank you so much for reading, if you like these short stories you can always click the follow story button! Feedback is always appreciated - what sort of things would you like to see in future prompts?


	6. VI - Bread

**Title: **"Bread"

**Summary: **Zelda runs into a spot of trouble until Link comes to the rescue. He decides to take her on a picnic to cheer her up, but find themselves having to share with their Loftwings.

**Warnings/Tags: **Romance, Friendship, Light-hearted, Picnic, Trigger-warning - bullying.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to the characters in this story. The characters of Link and Zelda are copyrighted by Nintendo. This is merely a fanfiction.

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"**Bread"**

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It was another beautiful day on Skyloft, with the sun beaming down on the village. The farmers had begun tending to their crops, ensuring they were hydrated as not to wilt. Friends gathered by the river to begin their morning routine of fishing. Over at the academy, the students rose from their plush beds, making their way to the dining hall for the daily breakfast buffet. Headmaster Gaepora sat at the top table in the room helping himself to scrambled eggs on toast. Beside sat his daughter, Zelda, who was less interested in her breakfast and more interested drifting off into a daydream. She gazed out the dining hall window, watching fluffy clouds pass by and the fruit-bearing trees sway in the light breeze. Her father turned to look at her, noticing she had touched her breakfast.

"**Zelda,"** he called softly. The young girl snapped out of her daze and looked at her father with her bright blue eyes.

"**Yes, father?" **she replied.

"**Your eggs are getting cold," **the headmaster sighed, gesturing his folk to her plate.

"**Sorry father, I'm just not feeling too hungry," **Zelda apologized taking a sip of her water, **"May I be excused?" **she asked. Her father nodded granting her permission. The blonde stood up from her seat, taking her plate with her as she left, handing it to a member of the kitchen staff before leaving the dining hall.

Zelda marched off down the corridor not paying attention to where she was heading. She kept her head down, minding her own business, feeling a little out of sorts. She came to a standstill, bumping into another student. Zelda rubbed her sore head, looking up at her roadblock and winced. Only she could have bumped into the one person she wanted to avoid running into, the school jock Groose.

"**Watch where you're…oh," **he began to hell not realizing it who had bumped into him. Groose then looked down to see his blonde crush staring up at him, **"Hello beautiful, finally come to your senses?" **he joked, a dark grin plastering his face.

"**In your dreams, Groose," **Zelda snapped, turning away from the student. Behind her she could hear his followers making a feisty meow sound, their leader grimaced, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. The blonde quickly responded, brushing him off, **"Please don't touch me," **she pleaded. She felt uncomfortable with the school jock invading her personal bubble, but this didn't stop his advances. Groose grabbed the girl by both her shoulders, forcing her to face him.

"**We're only having fun," **the jock replied laughing with his group. Zelda turned her pale face away from him, a little nervous about his next move. Behind them, the four of them heard heavy footsteps marching towards them. Groose heard his minions cry as they fled, causing him to look up from his prey. His cocky face dropped when he realized who the footsteps belonged to. Zelda felt herself being pulled away by a warm hand. The figures' arms wrapping themselves protectively around her. She heard a familiar grunt before feeling a soft kiss placed on the top of her head as she was released.

Link appeared in front of Zelda wearing his issued knights' uniform, his back decorated with his Goddess shield and blade. The school jock took a step back, cowering before his classmate. The hero's face was full of anger, _how dare he touch his girl. How dare he touch any girl who told him no. _Link pulled back his right arm and landed a heavy fist into his rival's face. The larger student stumbled, tripping over his own feet. Groose hit the stone floor with a thud, small stars and cucco's flew in a circle around his head. Link turned back to his companion, taking her hand softly.

Zelda rested her head on his arm, **"Thank you, Link." **She smiled up at him, thankful he had come to her rescue, yet again. The couple walked hand in hand back to the dining hall, the female student looking a little confused, **"What are we here for?" **she asked softly, hoping her father would be absent on her return. Zelda scanned the hall, thankfully not noticing the headmaster in any corner of the room. Link proceeded to lead her to the serving counter.

"**Ah, Mister Link, wonderful to see you," **the chef called. The hero raised his free hand to greet him, **"I have what you ordered right here." **The member of staff handed him a wicker basket covered with a white cloth, featuring the academy insignia. Link nodded to thank him as he took the basket in his glove before leading his companion outside in the beautiful sunshine. Zelda continued to clutch hold of her partner's hand, refusing to lead go at any cost.

Link led them both up towards to Goddess statue, that stood at the top of the village protecting its inhabitants. At the head of the structure their two loftwings laid on the grass, catching the sun's rays. Zelda smiled watching her lilac loftwing, Plum, enjoying her companion's company. The hero gestured his partner to a small spot next to their familiars. Zelda took a seat on the lush grass, snuggling close to Plum's soft feathers. Link placed the wicker basket in front of her before taking a seat beside her. The hero gestured to his companion to help herself to the contents.

"**Thank you, Link," **Zelda smiled sweetly at him, removing the cloth from the blanket. Inside the basket sat a beautifully arranged picnic, packed full of; sandwiches, a mix of fruits and a couple of cakes. The kitchen staff had prepared a lovely spread for the couple to enjoy.

The blonde helped herself to a meat-filled triangle and took a small bite before offering her partner the basket. Link helped himself to a cheese-filled triangle, stuffing the whole sandwich in his mouth. The pair helped themselves to another, filling the air with a sweet scent. The hero's loftwing awoke, peering over Link's shoulder as he tried to take a bite. The crimson loftwing butted his glove with its beak and claimed the sandwich as its own. The hero's mouth dropped to the floor and Zelda let out a giggle.

"**Perhaps our loftwings are hungry too," **she smiled, removing a juicy red apple from the basket and allowing Plum to take it from her hand. Her companion nodded, offering his crimson loftwing another triangle. The loftwing chowed down on the sandwich without hesitation, eating a little too fast. Link placed a hand on the back of the loftwing's neck, rubbing it gently. The crimson bird coughed before chirping with glee. The small piece of bread had dislodged itself in its throat. Zelda and her companion continued with their picnic, enjoying both each other's company and with their familiars too.

The couple decided to spend the rest of the day at the Goddess statue, happily munching on their picnic. When they were finished, Link scooted himself closer to his companion, wrapping an arm around her waist. She rested her head on his shoulder, nuzzling into his chest. Zelda felt safe and secure whenever she was with him. She took his hand in hers, a smile on her lips. Her companion turned to face her, planting a soft kiss on her lips. Zelda didn't resist, instead, she kissed him back wrapping her arms around his neck. This is where she wanted to be and she never wanted this feeling to end. 

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**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading, as always please feel free to leave a comment. Concrit is welcome! I wanted to try something a little different in terms of the encounter with Groose.


	7. VII - Fish

**Title: **"Fish"

**Summary: **Skyloft Academy holds its quarterly fishing tourney. All students are invited to enter and compete for the prize (from Zelda herself).

**Warnings/Tags: **Romance, Friendship

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to the characters in this story. The characters of Link and Zelda are copyrighted by Nintendo. This is merely a fanfiction.

* * *

"**Fish"**

* * *

The floating island of Skyloft was usually graced with beautiful sunny rays, however, on the morning of the Knight Academy fishing tourney, the residences had not been so lucky. The prussian sky was littered with grey pregnant clouds. Horwell, a tall slender elf was busy overseeing the preparations for the tourney, ushering several of the local fishermen in the setup for the event. Rows of colorful bunting were strung up on the fixtures with strings. The elven man hoped they would last for the opening ceremony of the tourney, at least, but even he couldn't subside the pessimistic thought.

Over at the Knight Academy, the students began gathering in the dining hall. The long wooden tables had been pushed to one corner of the room, the chairs stacked neatly beside them. Headmaster Gaepora stood proudly in the doorway, admiring his students. To his left side stood his beautiful daughter Zelda, wearing a white silk ceremony gown, resembling the Goddess Hylia herself. Her wrists were adorned by crystal bracelets in the shape of the academy crest, and her side bangs were wrapped with matching shimmer organza ribbons.

To the headmaster's right side stood the hero, Link. He had gained Gaepora's favor after saving his daughter from the clutches of the demon spirit Ghirahim and his master Demise. The young boy was wearing his issued knight's uniform, a tunic dyed forest green, paired with a light tan linen trousers and brown leather boots. His hands were covered with matching brown hide gloves, and on top of his blonde head sat his trademark green hat.

The three of them stood at the head of the crowd, each student in front of them was clutching tight of their fishing rods. This also included Link, who had been roped into the fishing tourney by the headmaster himself after hearing about the boy's luck when he fished some salmon for Zelda. Zelda placed her hands in front of her, interlocking her fingers.

**"Welcome my children to our quarterly fishing tourney," **the headmaster welcome the group. The crowd mumbled back at him in a chorus, **"Sadly the weather has decided against us today, but please do not let this deter you! For you will not be able to compete if you are feeling a little yellow-bellied." **He began eyeing up his students, knowing a handful had already dropped due to the poor weather conditions.

**"Those of you who are competing will have a chance at securing the prize," **Gaepora continued his speech, **"For the prize is, a gift from our very own Hylia incarnated, my lovely Zelda." **He outstretched a hand to his daughter.

Zelda turned to her father in disbelief. A soft pink hue grew on her cheeks, she disapproved of her father's decision. **"Father, please," **she pleaded, reluctantly taking his hand to curtsy at the crowd. Gaepora looked down at his daughter and gave her a reassuring smile.

Link stood to attention, he himself feeling rather uneasy. He kept himself facing the crowd, noticing the school jock, Groose, and his minions cackling at the back of the hall. The hero let out a growl, he could not allow the redhead to beat him. He would be one to secure a gift from his companion, protecting her at all costs.

Gaepora ignored his daughter's pleas, turning back to readdress his crowd, **"Make haste my children to the tourney area. For the fishing, tourney begins in exactly ten minutes." **He dismissed the pupils, each of them rushed out of the hall. Link walked behind the pack, brushing his companion's shoulder with his glove. He smiled to reassure her, determination fixed in his eyes.

**"Thank you," **she whispered, lifting her head to smile. Zelda knew he could win this tourney, besides there was no one she'd rather give her gift to, than to him. The hero hurried to catch up with the other students, hoping he could still nab a decent spot by the river.

The students of Skyloft Knight Academy had gathered themselves in a huddle on the wooden bridge. Horwell had been waiting to greet them all, thankful his bunting had survived long enough for them to see. The residents of Skyloft had lined themselves up close to the riverbank, eager to watch the tourney. Link hurried as fast as his boots could carry him to catch up with the rest of his class. He arrived no sooner than Horwell had begun addressing the students. The hero skidded to a halt, taking short sharp breaths to recover.

**"Welcome students. It is my honor to introduce you to our setting this autumn,"** he addressed the crowd. The elven man looked up at the sky and frowned, noticing a grey cloud hovered above their heads, **"I hope we can all wrap this up before it begins to rain." **he sighed.

Gaepora joined him at the front of the class, clutching a silver whistle in his right hand, **"Is everyone ready?" **he asked the crowd. His students responded again as a chorus, mumbling their replies, **"On my mark." **The headmaster brought the whistle close to his lips. The students lined themselves up along the wooden bridge in two equal lines of eight. Each of them preparing themselves to dart in their preferred direction.

Link had his sapphire-dyed eyes locked onto a particular spot. It was close to the cave entrance where Groose had hidden his crimson loftwing a couple of years back. This was where he would spend his time, sitting upon a little rock under a blooming tree, out of sight and of mind. He was brought out of his daydream by the school jock. Groose had made his way to Link's side, nudging him off-guard in the process.

**"Don't mind me," **the jock grunted at the blonde. The hero grumbled under his breath, cursing him for his ignorance. His minions, Cawlin and Strich were bundled up by his side. Link knew full well of what Groose had planned. He would let the boys do all the work for him, yet he would be the one to reap the reward, or he would if Link wasn't standing firmly in his way.

**"Three," **the headmaster called.

Groose turned to his rival, **"Guess I'll be seeing you after I collect the prize from the lovely Zelda herself," **he teased, a sinister grin plastered across his face. Link felt his heckles rise in anger, he shot a glare at the jock as a warning. He was serious about this competition, he would protect his best friend at any cost. The hero had never approved of Groose's behavior towards Zelda.

**"Two," **Horwell yelled. He couldn't resist the urge to join in.

**"One," **Gaepora called, blowing hard on the whistle, initiating the start of the fishing tourney.

The crowd pushed against each other, some of the students losing their balance, tripping over their peers. Strich and Cawlin were amongst the unlikely ones to be caught up in the tousle. The pair of them knocking into one another and diving headfirst into the river. Link couldn't help but chuckle when he noticed Groose's grin fade.

The other students rushed off in every direction, off of the wooden bridge and along the river bank, each trying to find their perfect spot. The hero pushed ahead of the pack, sprinting towards his sacred spot. Luckily, he had reached the area before anyone else could. The majority of his peers had chosen to stay closer toward the center of the tourney area, probably for their own safety. Groose was amongst them with the now drenched pair of minions at his side.

Link set himself steady upon the mossy rock before opening up his tackle and bait box. Inside sat a beautiful coral earring, studded with emeralds and curved into a hook shape. He took his wooden fishing rod in his gloves, fastening the earring to the end. The hero fiddled with the contents of the tackle box once more, producing a single orange jewel beetle. It was a sand cicada he had caught on one of his adventures within the Eldin Province. Link hooked the beetle onto the coral earring and cast his line into the river. He sat back against the bark of the tree, keeping his rod steady as he relaxed a little.

Several minutes had passed since Link had set up his fishing station, in the distance, he could hear cheering as a couple of his peers caught small fry gobies. The hero smiled, he was generally pleased for them, it was nice to see his fellow classmates tackle activities he had spent the last few years tackling on his own. Link caught something out the corner of his eye, his rod vibrating in his gloves. He finally had a bite. The hero gripped tight of the shaft, pulling the rod towards him and he reeled in the line. A medium-sized pink salmon flew out of the river, hooked on his rod, flapping about. Link quickly unhooked the fish before placing inside a bucket of water.

He decided to cast his reel again after replenishing the bait, in hope for a bigger catch. Link decided to continue using the same lure and bait as his previous catch, another one of his trademarks. He continued to catch more salmon, not on purpose. Link groaned each time another pink fish was drawn from the water, after his fifth catch, he decided to start returning the fish back to the river. He sighed, having another rummage in his tackle box for a different bait. The hero pulled out a single light blue insect, a goddess butterfly. This was his last-ditch effort. Link cast his line before taking a seat upon the rock once more.

He glanced over to his classmates, noticing a few more of them now had full buckets. Link rested his blonde head against the tree, resisting the urge to doze off while he waited for another bite. The hero had only just got comfortable when he felt the rod vibrate against his leg. He clutched hold of the rod, gently yanked it close to his body. Link tried to reel in his line but the fish fought bad. He furrowed his brow and pulled it tighter, reeling the line in quickly. A large crimson fish flew out of the water, wagging itself at the end of the rod. The hero carefully placed the fish inside the bucket along with the various salmon. He examined the fish, taking a closer look at his new catch. Link had never seen a fish like this before. _Maybe that will work in my favor, _he thought, removing the smaller fish from the bucket.

In the distance, the Hylian heard the sharp call of the headmaster's whistle. The fishing tourney had come to a close, it was now time to be judged. Link began packing up his tackle box, returning his treasured coral earring back into the box before grabbing hold of his equipment and his fishing bucket. The students of Skyloft academy were ushered to line up, on the wooden bridge above the river, once more. Gaepora stood in front of the class, with both his advisor, Horwell and his daughter, Zelda, at his side. The young girl was holding a small packaged, wrapped in brown paper and tied multiple times with twine. Each student took it in turns to present their fishing bucket to the judges, the three of them keeping a mental note of the contents. By the riverbank, the local fishermen had been roped into measuring each fish and recording their findings. It process took an hour to complete and by this point, many of the students had grown tired.

**"We have now determined the winners of the tourney," **Gaeopora called, holding a slip of parchment in his hands, **"Sorry to keep you, my children." **He took a breath and cleared his throat before delivering his announcement.

**"In third place," **Horwell called out to the crowd, **"Pipit, with his eight-point three-inch salmon." **The crowd began to clap as a brunette boy in a mustard knights uniform walked forward. He bowed in front of the judges, thanking them. The headmaster shook the boy's hand before he returned to the crowd. Link smiled at his classmate, giving him a quick thumbs up when the school jock shoved him to one side. The hero grunted at the redhead.

**"Oh, sorry squirt. Didn't see you there," **he began to chuckle, his soggy minions close to his side. Link brushed him off, turning back to the judges but the jock pestered him again, **"Let the best man win, yeah?" **Groose winked at him, but the hero couldn't help but agree.

**"Now the next two were very close. Please don't be disheartened." **Gaepora called, reading from his parchment, **"In second place is Groose, with his nine-inch Hylian loach." **The jock's face fell, his jaw hitting the floor, he had missed out yet again. Link nudged the redhead from the crowd. Groose turned to glare at the hero, but he just smiled in reply. The jock begrudging walked up to the judges and accepted his handshake.

**"Quite rare to see a Hylian Loach in these waters, my boy," **the headmaster shook his hand, **"Well done." **Groose forced a smile and returned to his minions, shoving Link with his shoulder as he walked away from the crowd.

**"Now to announce our winner," **Gaepora continued, turning to his daughter, **"Zelda will now do the honors." **He smiled proudly, ushering his daughter to take his spot.

Zelda held tightly to her package, glancing at her piece of parchment, **"The winner of the Skyloft Knight Academy autumn fishing tourney is," **she paused to take a deep breath before opening the piece of parchment. The blonde smiled when she saw the winner's name, **"Is Link, who caught a twelve-inch reekfish." **

The crowd roared, cheering on the hero. Link scratched the back of his awkwardly, his goofy smile appearing on his lips. Pipit gave his classmate a gentle nudge, nodding his head towards Zelda. The hero walked up to his companion and bowed before her.

**"It is my honor to present you with this gift. May the Goddess be with you," **Zelda bestowed her package to Link, bowing her head in respect. The hero took the package from her gentle hands, taking to his feet once more. His companion wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, **"Well done, mister hero," **she whispered in his ear, making his heart skip a beat. She released him, allowing him to return to his classmates to celebrate.

X X X

Later that evening, Link met Zelda at their shared favorite spot. The ancient Goddess statue that sat at the top of the floating island of Skyloft. The hero still hadn't opened the gift his companion gave him earlier in the day.

**"Open it silly,"** Zelda began to tease, giving the boy a gentle nudge. Link sighed, he had no choice but to open it now. He pulled at the brown paper, stripping the contents bare. Inside sat a hand-knitted scarf, in cerulean blue wool with crimson fringing at either end. On the bottom edges featured the Skyloft crest which hand-embroidered. A goofy smile appeared on Link's face, it was beautiful. Zelda had dedicated a lot of time and effort into creating this accessory. The hero wrapped his arms around his companion's waist, planting a soft kiss on her lips. She melted into his embrace, resting her arms around his neck.

She broke away momentarily, **"May I?" **Zelda pointed to the scarf. Link nodded, handing her the accessory. She wrapped it carefully around his neck, allowing the excess knit to cascade down his back, **"It suits you," **she said, admiring her hero. Her companion smiled, taking her hand in his. Zelda rested her blonde head against his arm as the two of them took a slow walk back to Skyloft academy together.

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**Author's Note: **This one was a fair bit longer than usual but I enjoyed writing it. I had the idea after taking part in the Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp monthly fishing tourney and thought this might be something that the Zelda universe might have too. Did you spot the little easter eggs to other games? As always feedback always helps, thank you for reading.


	8. VIII - Race

**Title: **"For the love of Link and Zelda"

**Summary: **A re-telling of the opening of Skyward Sword during the sky race.

**Warnings/Tags: **Romance, Friendship, Slice-of-Life, Comedy

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to the characters in this story. The characters are copyrighted by Nintendo.

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"**Race"**

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It was another beautiful sunny day on the sky island of Skyloft. The villagers had begun busying themselves with the festival preparations. Colorful bunting had been strung up across the island, with paper lanterns, with the academy insignia painted on the side, was lined up by the wooden platforms ready for the students. Today marked the day the students of Skyloft Knight Academy would participate in the Wing ceremony. A race between each loftwing and rider approaching their final year of study.

Gaepora, headmaster of the Skyloft Academy was standing amongst the crowd conversing with many of his student's parents. Almost all of them were excited to watch their children's performance later on today. He heard footsteps behind him, running towards his conversation huddle. The headmaster turned round to see his beautiful daughter Zelda standing there, stopping to catch her breath. She was wearing her favorite cerise shift dress with a studded belt wrapped around her waist. She had a golden harp in her hands, a present he had gifted her with a couple of days ago in preparation for the ceremony.

"**Zelda, my girl what's wrong?" **Gaepora asked her concerned, resting a hand on her shoulder. The blonde-haired girl straightened out her posture. Her father retracted his hand.

"**Father, have you seen Link anywhere?" **She queried, her usually joyful eyes looked pained. The headmaster shook his head.

"**Why do you ask?"**

"**He isn't preparing for the Wing ceremony with the other riders. Each of them are practicing their jumps, however Link it's amongst them," **Zelda replied, placing a closed fist against her chest. This situation was clearly troubling her, and her father could read the pain across her face.

"**Maybe he overslept?" **Gaepora suggested, both of them knowing full well the young hero enjoyed his bed a little too much, particularly in the mornings. It was always a struggle getting him out of bed early, but still, that wasn't the hardest part, it was keeping him awake.

"**I do hope not,"** she shouted, her voice laced with annoyance, **"He knows how important the annual Wing Ceremony is for the academy." **Her father tried to calm her down but instead, she turned around irritated, storming off towards the goddess status at the head of the island.

Zelda marched up the stone steps towards the towering marble status decorated with touches of lush green mosh. She looked up towards the perfect blue sky, untouched by a minimum amount of fluffy clouds. She watched as her lilac loftwing, Plum cascaded through the sky towards her side. The blonde placed a pale hand onto her companion's soft feathers. Plum chirped with glee, stretching out her beautiful lilac and white wings before tucking them into her sides. Plum nudged the blonde with her bright yellow beak, gesturing towards the harp.

"**Oh, alright then," **Zelda said, smiling back at her feathered friend. She held up the golden harp, resting it securely on her shoulder, supporting it with her right hand. With her left, she tested the strings, first plucking at each one then strumming a few notes together before beginning.

"**Oh, youth," **Zelda began to sing, strumming on her harp delicately. Her loftwing chirped along happily to the tune. But her rider wasn't happy, the blonde frowned, something was missing. She put down her harp and took a seat on one of the steps. Zelda removed a cream envelope from her brown leather satchel, the close was sealed with the academy wax seal. This was something her father allowed her to do with all of her correspondents. She turned over the letter, smoothing over the inked name written on the front.

Zelda turned to her faithful loftwing, **"You know what to do, Plum." **The lilac bird took the cream envelope from her rider, before stretching out her wings and taking to the perfect blue sky once more. As she disappeared from sight, the blonde-haired student repositioned her harp and begun strumming on the delicate strings once more.

Inside the Skyloft Knight Academy, the hero Link was still in his bedchambers, comatose. He was already dressed in his uniform but had clearly fallen back asleep. He was hanging out of the bed with only an arm and leg rested on the blue duvet. Suddenly his small window shot open, waking the sleeping hero. Link looked up with tired sapphires to a fuzzy shape standing there. He turned his head to the side to try and decipher the colors. Plum pushed her feathered face through the flap, her beak still holding tight of her rider's letter. Without warning, the loftwing spat the envelope at Link, smacking him square in the face. He woke up immediately, realizing who had awakened him. He saw Plum's face shoved into the window hole and screamed. The loftwing, in turn, squawked, pulling her face from the window and disappearing out of sight.

Link got to his feet, rubbing his still-tired eyes as he picked up the cream envelope from his wooden floor. He scratched at the back of his dirty-blonde hair, cowlicks sticking up in places. He broke the seal and quickly skimmed the letter, realizing he was late for their meeting Link quickly woke up. He ran out of his bedchambers and out of the academy, sprinting towards the Goddess statue at the north of the island.

He walked up the mossy stone steps and noticed his blonde-haired companion standing in front of the pedestal. Zelda was spinning slowly as she played on her golden harp, strumming the strings delicately as she sang.

"**Oh youth, guided by the servant of the goddess, unite Earth and sky, bring light to the land," **she sang, her voice as beautiful as an angel making Link's heart flutter, his stomach full of butterflies. In skies behind her, her lilac loftwing circled above, joined by a few of her feathered friends. Zelda turned after she had finished her verse, noticing her best friend staring at her, **"Oh, hello Link." **She smiled at him, removing the harp from her shoulder. Link gave his companion a little wave, she instantly took him by the hand and guided him towards the Goddess statue.

Zelda spun around to show off her beautiful cerise dressed, **"What do you think, Link?" **she asked. Her companion stood with a goofy smile plastered across his face. His heart kept skipping beats, but he dared not to tell her. He simply nodded in reply and watched her pale face light up with glee. Zelda giggled and proceeded to inform the silent hero of her duty during the Wing Ceremony. She explained her role as the Goddess Hylia today, and the winner of today's race would be presented with a sailcloth of she had handmade.

Gaepora, the academy headmaster came marching up the mossy steps towards the couple. **"Link, my boy, finally decided to join us?" **he asked the silent hero, **"Overslept, again?" **the headmaster raised a white as snow eyebrow. Link nodded, scratching the back of his head nervously. But the older man shook his head, **"You need to get training, there are only another two hours before the Wing Ceremony begins." **

The silent hero nodded, stood to attention and bowed to his master. Zelda quickly rushed to his side, taking his hand in hers and yanking him towards the wooden platform. Link realized what she was planning, and pushed against her lightly, shaking his head as he was shoved closer to the edge.

"**Come on now, jump Link!" **His female companion exclaimed, getting ready to push him off. But the hero wasn't having any of it. He put up a little fight, playfully as not to hurt his friend. Link tried to dig his heels into the small cracks separating the planks, but he couldn't get a good enough grip. He turned round to come face to face to Zelda and felt his cheeks ablaze. His blonde companion gave him her sweetness smile before giving him a final gentle push off the ledge, **"Off you go, hero."** He heard her giggle.

Link fell backward hurtling towards the soft fluffy clouds. He knew the drill of sky-riding and began to whistle with his fingers. But not crimson loftwing came. He tried again, still nothing. Back on the island, Gaepora had joined Zelda's side, noticing the hero tumbling to his death.

"**Why isn't he calling for his loftwing?" **he asked his daughter, concerned for the boy's wellbeing. Zelda shrugged shaking her head.

"**He's been calling. It isn't responding," **she replied, a hint of anxiety lacing her words. Something must have happened to the bird. No loftwing could resist the call from their rider. Zelda made a quick decision and took a swan dive off the wooden platform, whistling as she fell backward. Plum immediately appeared at her rider's side, **"Save him." **She begged her feathery friend. The loftwing gave a gentle squawk and darted after the hero. Plum was much quicker with her dives than he was falling freestyle and quickly caught him with her sharp talons.

Link gave Zelda a weary smile and a quick thumbs up to inform her, he was okay. His companion gave him a flash of a smile back, then continued to steer Plum back up to be reunited with Gaepora. The lilac loftwing put the silent hero down on the lush grass gently. She tucked her beautiful wings back into her sides and bowed to allow her rider to demount. The silent hero quickly scrambled to his feet and joined his companion.

"**What happened?" **Zelda asked him. Link shrugged, even he didn't quite understand what had happened. He whistled as any rider would after jumping, then shook his head. His female companion nodded, understanding what he was trying to explain to her, **"You whistled and he never came?" **Link shook his head again, **"How strange. No loftwing should ignore their rider's call." **Zelda pondered this for a moment, resting her chin on a closed fist to think. Even she couldn't understand why the crimson loftwing hadn't come when called. But then an idea struck her.

"**Let us ask around the village, surely someone must know something?" **she turned back to Link to ask. He nodded, sounded like a good plan to him, **"Let us make haste, else we'll be late for the ceremony." **She cried, grabbing hold of her companion's arm and dragging down the path of the Goddess into the center of the village.

The couple looked around, checking for anything out of place and anyone acting a little suspicious. Zelda had asked her father's faithful assistant, Horwell, a tall elven man, but he hasn't seen nor heard anything of the missing crimson loftwing. Link had tried his best to mime his questions to the villagers, yielding little positive results. He was beginning to feel disheartened he wouldn't get to participate in the ceremony at all. His companion rejoined his side, unable to get any answers herself. A small child approached the couple and explained she had heard some strange noises coming from the cave near the waterfall. The infant was scared and asked the silent hero if he would vanquish the monster for her. Naturally, they accepted the mission and went to investigate.

As they were making their way into the dimly lit cave, the couple overheard a small group chatting amongst themselves. Link frowned the moment he clocked the group, noticing Groose and his minions joking about something.

"**He'll never find that loftwing," **the redhead said, a dark grin plastered across his face, **"For once I will beat him at something." **His minions cackled along with him. Link was about to go over to the group, but his arm was grabbed by Zelda pulling him back.

She shook her head at him, **"Let us find your loftwing first," **she reassured him. Her companion nodded and led her into the dingy cave. They could hear a squawking echoing throughout the tunnel. Link instantly recognised his feathered friend's call and began to pick up his pace. Noticing him dash off, Zelda puffed out her cheeks, **"Wait for me!" **she called out after him, running steadily behind.

The silent hero ran back out into the beautiful sunlight, now standing in a lush field. The cries of his loftwing still echoing. He looked up and saw the winding slope towards the upper section of the cave. Link began to run again, darting up the incline. He noticed the crimson loftwing trapped in another portion of the cave and frowned. His feathered friend looked back at him with sad eyes, no doubt he had been lured here with an enormous amount of food. He was a glutton, just like his rider.

"**What happened?" **Zelda asked, panting at his side. She had just caught up to the pair when she noticed the crimson loftwing, **"Oh! You found him. Well done, Link." **She congratulated him, giving him a short clap. Her companion pointed to the wooden barricade that had imprisoned the bird. She nodded in reply as they both set about pulling on the poles. But they wouldn't budge. Link let out a groan then asked Zelda to stand back, giving him room. He pulled the practice training blade from it's sheath, given to him by Eagus, when he was questioning the villagers about the missing loftwing.

Link took a breath, focusing his energy into the sword, before striking hard across the barricade. The wooden chipped away. He continued hacking and slashing the poles until his friend was free. The crimson loftwing let out a happy chirp, taking his first step out of the cave. He nuzzled his beak into his rider's dirty blonde hair before stretching out his wings and taking to the skies.

"**Now we've found him, there's something I must take care of before the ceremony," **Zelda spoke calmly, however they both knew inside she was fighting with a storm. Groose needed to be spoken with. Link thought it best to leave her too it, knowing full well how scary the girl could be when she was angry. They agreed to make their way back down to the centre of the village.

They had clocked Groose and his minions almost instantly and decided to go have a chat. The group were still conversing, laughing and joking about their little plan of imprisoning the crimson loftwing. The redhead hadn't notice the couple appear behind him but his minions, Cawlin and Strich, noticed the angry blonde, their smiles dropped instantly.

"**What is the matter with you both?" **Groose asked, wondering why no one was laughing at his jokes. Zelda cleared her throat, making him freeze and turn around slowly. She raised an eyebrow at him and frowned.

"**How dare you," **she said her voice raising slightly, **"Link could have been killed and for what? A joke? Really Groose." **She began to wag her index finger is his face. The redhead began to whimper, looking a little nervous.

"**I'm sorry. I truly am, both of you," **he managed to croak. Zelda shrugged him off and returned to Link's side.

"**Good luck, hero." **His companion smiled at him, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. Link feel his cheeks burn, turning slightly pink as he watched his best friend disappear and get ready for the ceremony with her father, Gaepora. He turned back to Groose and smiled smugly, he would win this race today.

The riders had all been made to line up along the large wooden platform that sat next to the Skyloft windmill. They had been asked to line up in a row of six with only twelve students participating. Horwell and Gaepora were stood in front of the windmill, ready to count the riders into the race. The headmaster had hold of a white flag, while his assistant had a whistle ready in his hands.

"**On our mark," **the older man called holding up his flag.

"**Three."** The riders began to get into position. Shuffling a little against one another.

"**Two." **

"**One." **The students got ready to take their leap of faith and upon hearing the whistle launched themselves off of the platform and into their descent to the soft fluffy clouds. Like clockwork each student whistled, grabbing the attention of their respected loftwings. The aim of the race was to grab a golden replica of the Goddess status before the time ran out. Each of the riders had been given only thirty minutes to complete the task and the leading loftwing holding the idol wasn't giving it up easily.

Link had perfectly mounted his crimson loftwing, glad to be reunited with his feathered friend after the mishap with Groose. Together they glided through the beautiful blue sky without a care in the world, picking up the momentum before attempting to swipe at the idol. He watched as many other riders failed to succeed in the task. The lead loftwing, belonging to Eagus, was dodging each swipe, spinning to both sides gracefully.

The silent hero checked his surroundings to reassure himself Groose and his minions weren't going to try anything more that would cost him the race. He noticed them off in the distance grouped together, Link was informed of their behaviour to know Cawlin and Strich would act as decoys to enable Groose to succeed in the race.

Suddenly the hero felt a pellet skim his cheek, he looked up to see Cawlin firing small stones at him. Link frowned, his rival really would try anything to beat him. He gave the order for his loftwing to ascend further into the atmosphere, concealing them both within the clouds. He scanned the area below, trying his best to locate Eagus and his bird. Link spotted them circling a small cluster of sky rocks, he smiled, determined to grab the idol himself.

Link gave his feathered friend another order and the crimson loftwing let out a chirp before descending like a dart through the clouds and back to the race restricted area. He decided on a surprise assault to snag the idol from Eagus. The pair was swift, their descend had provided them with a new-found speed, gliding through the clouds and past his fellow riders. Link outstretched his hand, now only inches from the leading loftwing.

Eagus had not noticed the boy until he turned round too late, the silent hero had won the race, marking his win by doing a lap of victory around his classmates. He let out a cheer for his student before blowing his own whistle to end the race. Link didn't return to the starting platform like he was told to do, instead, he made his way to the top of the Goddess status at the north of Skyloft where he was reunited with Zelda.

He jumped on his friend's back, landing with a little stumble at the pedestal. His loftwing stayed circling the warm summer breeze with his companion's loftwing, Plum. Zelda was stood on the mossy stone, strumming on her golden harp once before. Her angel-like singing melted the hero's heart.

"**Oh youth, guided by the servant of the goddess, unite Earth and sky, bring light to the land," **she sung once more before noticing her best friend standing in front of her. She smiled at him sweetly, **"There you are. I knew you could do it, Link." **Her silent hero was overwhelmed with joy, he was proud of himself for winning the race but more so it was worth seeing her beautiful face smile.

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**Author's Note: I half wanted to re-write the introduction to Skyward Sword, but on the other hand didn't. This is what I came up with.**


	9. IX: Poor

**Title: **"For the love of Link and Zelda"

**Summary: **Link and Zelda travel down to the surface to assist a Kikwi in distress.

**Warnings/Tags: **Romance, Friendship, Slice-of-Life, Comedy

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to the characters in this story. The characters are copyrighted by Nintendo.

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"**Poor"**

* * *

**"Can we go back down to the surface?"** Zelda asked her companion. Link stood perched against her oak desk with his arms folded across his chest. He was contemplating the idea in his head. Their last trip had been less successful, to say the least, considering their run-in with the undead pirate captain Scervo. While he wanted to make her happy, he could do without any more enemies spoiling their date-day. She poked him, snapping him away from his thoughts, he turned to gaze at her instantly.

"**Well?" **she asked. Link grimaced, _she__'s persistent, _he removed himself. He smiled at his companion before nodding in reply. Zelda began to jump for joy, happy with his decision, **"Let me get my beret and we can leave." **She said, smiling back at him.

Her companion watched her dance around the room, while she located a soft felt beret from her drawer. She wore a replica of the knight academy uniform, similar to his green tunic, but in her favorite color, cerise pink. It had been a present from her father, headmaster Gaepora, shortly after they defeated Demise. Link was dressed in his trademark forest green tunic with his sword and shield secured to his back. Zelda drifted over to her free-standing mirror, that sat close to her bed frame, she checked over her appearance in the reflection and once satisfied turned back to her companion.

"**Ready?" **she asked, placing her hands on her hips. Link nodded, getting up from his perch. He took his companion by the hand and allowed her to lead him to their favourite spot, the Goddess status situated at the north of the village of Skyloft.

The couple stood hand-in-hand on the wooden planked platform. They took a moment to look out at the beautiful clear sky, as much they both loved their home it was nice to take a break now and again. Zelda decided to take the leap of faith first, tugging on Link's hand and causing him to fall of the platform a little less graceful that she had. She let out a short giggle as they fell before they both whistled loudly for their birds. The couple released the other's hand and quickly mounted their respected loftwings. Zelda wrapped her arms around the neck of her faithful feathered friend, Plum, giving a soft tickle on her cheek. Her companion and his bird had not completed the ritual as perfectly. Link slipped a little as he mounted his loftwing, almost tumbling off, and once steady his crimson bird had given him a little peck. His rider was displeased, frowning and grunting at his loftwing to stop.

The couple grazed through the soft fluffy clouds a little before descending below the clouds and to the surface. Realising they hadn't agreed where they were going to land, Zelda turned to her companion to ask him.

"**Where would you like to go?" **she called out. Link took a moment to look at the surface below. He hovered for a minute, looking at the light pillars beaming up from the surface. He pointed towards the emerald green one and glanced towards his companion, **"Faron woods? Let's race to see who'll get there first." **She giggled, seizing the opportunity to quickly get a head start over her partner.

Link watched at the lilac-coloured loftwing whizzed past him. Bewildered, he took a moment to recompose himself. A grin soon appeared on his lips as he began to chase after his companion. While he felt determined to win, after all, he had a reputation to uphold, he debated about letting her win, or giving her a challenge. He was set on the latter. The couple battled it out, neither one of them wanting to give into the other, until it was time for the dismount. Having done the complex jumps multiple times Link decided to be a little cocky and wait for the last second to dismount. Zelda jumped off the back of Plum as soon as the surface was in her sight, opening her sail cloth up as she dismounted.

Link made his leap closer to the surface, leaving him very little time to execute it successfully. He removed his sail cloth, the same one his companion had given him before his grand adventure, now a little more worn from usage, and glided towards the surface. He landed outside the Skyview Temple, feeling very smug with himself, unable to see his companion in sight. Zelda had beaten him to the ground, waving at him from a distance. His jaw hit the floor, grunting under his breath as she joined him. She giggled at him before planting a soft kiss on his cheek. Link began to feel a little more relaxed now. His companion took him by the hand and led him into the woods.

The couple arrived at a familiar clearing noticing a small penguin-like creature curled up on the ground, surrounded by a group of ruby-red Bokoblins. Zelda gasped, putting a hand over her mouth, her sapphire eyes filling with sadness.

"**Look at the poor little thing," **she tugged on her companion's arm, **"We have to help it." **She almost begged him.

Link needed no more encouragement than to hear her cry, he quickly drew his sword and shield onto his arm, leaping into action. He chose not to be subtle with his approach, instead, he leapt into the fray, launching a spin attack at the enemies. The Bokoblins were knocked onto their backs, wiggling and struggling to get back to their feet. This opening allowed Zelda to dart towards the Kikwi and hurrying him to safety. The mob was left to the silent hero to finish off. The leader of the pack scrambled back to his feet, striking back at Link with his scimitar. But he was much quicker, blocking the attack with his shield and pushing against the enemy before swiping at him with his own blade. One beast had been defeated, four remained.

"**You can do it, Link!" **Zelda called from the sidelines, offering him her support. She was stroking the fur of the Kikwi softly, soothing it's fears. Link smiled, now full of morale, he struck another Bokoblin before it had a chance to get back onto its feet. That left three remaining.

One of the beasts jumped into the air, making an attempt to swing at the hero, but he hadn't learnt from his fallen companion, Link was quicker in every way. He blocked the attack and parried, striking the red monster across the chest. Two left. The silent hero focused his energy on another of the slower beasts struggling to get to his feet. He rolled around like a turtle, stuck on his back. Link leapt into the air, forward rolling and plummeting into the chest of his enemy. Only one remained.

"**Link, behind you!" **Zelda called once more from the sidelines. The remaining Bokoblin had a much larger scimitar that the others he had faced. He threw the blade down to strike the hero, but clashed with his shield. Link had crutched down, holding the wooden and steel protector over his face. He pushed against the beast, using it's own weight against it and thrusted the enemy against a nearby rock. All the Bokoblins had been defeated. Link could hear the cheer of his companion behind him.

The silent hero returned his sword to it's sheath and the shield to his back before rejoining Zelda's side. She was sat on the lush green grass, underneath a tree, still stroking the nervous Kikwi softly. She looked up, noticing her companion and beckoned him to sit beside her.

"**This poor little guy had quite a scare," **Zelda explained, a worried, concerned look on her face. Link placed his glove on her free hand to reassure her. She turned to him, a faint smile appeared on her lips, **"We really do follow trouble, don't we. Even if we don't mean to." **She said and sighed. Her companion nodded, not one date so far had been easy for them. Something had always gone wrong.

Suddenly the Kikwi had stopped shaking and instead began to uncurl himself until he noticed the pair. The blonde quickly whipped her hand away. He squeaked disappearing into his ball once more.

"**We're not here to hurt you," **Zelda cooed, placing a hand on his head, giving the creature a soothing stroke, **"Poor little guy, those Bokoblins must have really scared you." **She spoke softly to the creature. The Kikwi peaked out at the blonde towering over him and squeaked at her, **"It's okay," **she cooed, continuing to stroke his head.

The Kikwi finally decided to uncurl himself, revealing his true identity. He was half the size of the couple, a brownish-black fur penguin-like creature with a curled sprout on top of his head. Small beady eyes stared at the couple, with a long pointed nose and little claws. It let out a high-pitched squeal and began quivering nervously.

"**Hey little guy," **Zelda said softly, choosing to stay seated on the ground. Link watched her try and soothe the Kikwi. She placed a hand out to the creature and he accepted her warm hand in his fur once more, **"Let's take you home," **she suggested, turning to her companion. He nodded before getting to his feet. Zelda copied his actions.

"**Would you mind showing us the way?" **she asked the creature politely in a quieter tone. He pointed towards a grand tree towering over the forest, situated near the centre of woods. Zelda nodded, understanding his direction and began to lead the way but still the Kikwi wouldn't budge. She turned back around to see him shaking in the same spot, he hadn't moved an inch., **"Come on now, nothing will hurt you." **Zelda held out her hand, making the creature squeak once more. He quickly run up to her and clung close to her side. The couple laughed, neither could deny how cute this was.

The makeshift group walked from the clearing and through the forest, so far they hadn't encountered any more of the Bokoblin tribe. The silent hero and his companion were thankful for this. It started to feel like a normal date, finally. They had walked a little further into the forest when they stumbled across the tree, it hadn't been as far as they originally thought. The Kikwi squeaked loudly with excitement upon seeing his home, jumping up and down with joy. The hero let out a chuckle while his companion giggled. Zelda was glad to see the creature less anxious now.

"**Machi,"** the group heard a booming voice call, **"Where are you my child,"** a much larger Kikwi appeared, slightly more brown and cream in colour, looking around the area. The smaller Kikwi squeaked back at him, hoping to grab his attention. The elder, Bucha looked down at him, **"Ho-ho," **he chuckled, **"There you are Machi," **he said.

Machi, the rescued Kikwi ran over to his tribe leader and wrapped his tiny arms round his side, **"I was so scared," **he managed to squeak.

The Kikwi elder patted him gently on his head, **"Bokoblins, again?" **he asked concerned. Machi nodded in reply. Bucha looked up at the young knights, his brow frowned, **"I see you brought some friends?" **Machi quickly let go of his elders side and rejoined the couple.

"**These two saved me from the Bokoblins," **he cried. Zelda gave Bucha a bow.

"**It's an honor to meet you," **she said, glancing at her companion and gesturing him to copy her actions. Link gave an awkward smile before bowing to the Kikwi elder himself.

"**Ho-ho," **Bucha squeaked, **"It's you two again." **He bellowed kindly. The couple smiled, clearly, he had remembered them from their last visit. It had been six months since the fall of demise. **"Thank you both, again. You saved my Machi, I am in your debt." **He said and bowed.

Zelda shook her head, **"No thanks necessary. We're just glad Machi is safe," **she said smiling softly. Link nodded, agreeing with his companion's statement, **"We need to be on our way," **she turned to her companion.

"**Of course, thank you again," **Bucha replied, giving the couple a wave.

"**Thank you," **Machi squeaked waving to the pair. Zelda smiled giving the small Kikwi a little squeeze before she and Link departed from their grove, waving goodbye as they walked away.

"**I do hope one day we can have a normal, simple date," **Zelda said, with an optimistic tone in her voice. Link let out a chuckle and in turn, she giggled along with him. _One day, _he thought to himself as the couple walked hand in hand into the sunset.


	10. X - Rich

**Title: **"For the love of Link and Zelda"

**Summary: **Link and Zelda visit the Skyloft food festival to sample some tasty treats.

**Warnings/Tags: **Romance, Friendship, Slice-of-Life, Comedy

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to the characters in this story. The characters are copyrighted by Nintendo.

* * *

"**Rich"**

* * *

It was a beautiful Autumn day on the floating island of Skyloft. Today marked the beginning of Autumn Equinox and the harvest festival. Many of the villagers had set up their own market stalls to sell their delicious seasonal treats, each scattered across the land. Around the tree trunks were littered with crisp leaves and bright orange pumpkins with an array of carvings etched into the skin. No two designs were the same.

Over at the Skyloft Knight Academy, the students were gathered in the grand hall, each of them smartly dressed in their uniforms. Pipit and Karane stood on a small raised platform in front of their classmates, both of them holding tightly to a clipboard. Link stood off to the left side of the hall, leaning back against the wall with his arms folded across his chest and his dirty-blonde head tilted to one side. He had just begun dozing off when he felt a soft tap on his shoulder. The silent hero grizzled, wiping the small dribble of drool from his lips before turning to look beside him.

Zelda stood in her cerise knight uniform, with her hands tucked behind her back, **"Good morning, sleepyhead" **she greeted him with a smile. Link quickly regained his posture, standing tall with a goofy smile plastered across his face, his cheek ablaze. He gestured to her back, causing her smile to grow.

She took a quick peep behind her and winked at him, **"Just a little something for the harvest festival. Did you bring anything?" **she asked him. The silent hero nodded, pointing over to a large vibrant pumpkin sitting proudly in the center of the table. Zelda's jaw dropped to the floor, **"Wow, Mister Hero, you've certainly outdone yourself this time." **She teased. Link scratched the back of his head and let out a nervous chuckle.

"**Attention students,"** Pipit called, trying his best to hush the other academy students. They all turned around to greet him with unimpressed faces. He grinned weakly, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. He swallowed, gesturing for his companion to take over the speech. Karane rolled her eyes and giggled before taking center stage.

"**If you have any more donations, now is the time to do it," **she called pointing towards the long wooden table pushed against the right side of the room, **"You can either hand them directly to one of us or place it over there yourselves." **

Zelda let out a gasp, **"Almost forgot," **she said, producing a wicker picnic basket from her back. Link looked down the see it full of freshly picked fruits and vegetables, **"Let me just hand this over. I won't be a moment," **she reassured her companion before she dashed off to hand the basket to her upper classmates. The silent hero decided to trail slowly behind her.

Karane smiled, giving the blonde her thanks as she accepted the bundle, **"Thank you," **she said.

"**Sorry it's not much," **Zelda cried, **"I really wish I had more time. I wanted to make a handful of pumpkin pies for the festival. Sorry, Karane." **She replied slumping her head down. She felt a warm leather-coated hand on her shoulder and immediately lifted herself back up, jumping a little. Link grinned at her, giving her shoulder a little pat.

"**Zelda, this is more than plenty. Thank you for your donation," **Pipit said joining his classmate's side.

"**Oh well, if you're sure," **she said with a bow, **"I'm glad I could help."** The couple said their goodbyes to their classmates before walking out of the grand hall. She placed a hand on her companion's arm as they continued to walk out into the chilly autumn day.

The floating island of Skyloft had been transformed into a beautifully decorated market town. The efforts of the townspeople had completely altered the way the village other was. In the river, that flowed through the center of Skyloft, was filled with small paper lanterns with an array of colorful leaves scattered around the place. The large pumpkin decorations that had been placed at the base of each tree were now adorned with cream candles and seasonal berries.

The couple walked out of the Knight Academy and took a look at their surroundings. Both of them couldn't believe how easily the island had been transformed. It was barely recognizable, like stepping out into an entirely new world. Zelda released her partner's arm to take his hand instead and whisked him off towards the festival. She was ecstatic and couldn't wait to look at the market stalls.

Link was pulled along with her, unable to stop himself from letting out a soft chuckle. He knew how excited she was, she could never resist a market. She loved all things arts, craft and baking related, and could never resist sampling the wares and supporting her local village. He noticed his companion had brought along a slightly larger leather satchel that she usually brought out with her. Link raised an eyebrow, he knew for sure the bag wouldn't last five minutes with her spending habits.

The couple approached the first stall, that sat beside the opening of the village bazaar. An elderly lady, in her sixties, sat on a cushioned stool behind her table, engrossed with her knitting. The wood was covered in a warm crimson blanket embroidered with tiny leaves. Her wares consisted of lovely hand-knitted accessories and home-wares. The lady looked up from her work to notice the couple standing by her stall.

"**Ho-oh. Hello dears," **she greeted them with a kind smile, **"Happy harvest festival." **She said giving the pair a small bow with her head.

Zelda returned the favor and bowed, **"Happy harvest festival," **she replied smiling back at the lady, **"Your knitting is beautiful. Don't you think so, Link?" **she said, tugging on the sleeve of her companion.

The silent hero, who had been looking around curious at the other stalls, looked at her confused. His partner pointed to the knitted wares and he smiled. Link took a step towards the elder and bowed before tapping the table at a particular set. Zelda looked at where he was gesturing too, besides his finger sat a beautiful cream and cerise striped accessory set.

"**That's a gorgeous set," **she cried, turning to the elder, **"May I?" **The lady nodded, Link took the knitted scarf in his hands and carefully wrapped the knitwear around his companion's neck.

"**It suits you, dear" **the elder complimented. Zelda felt her cheeks ablaze, she gave the pair a smile. Link pointed at the set and then to himself, initiating he was paying. He handed the woman fifty rupees, as informed by the small sign that sat next to the accessories, **"Thank you. I hope you enjoy the rest of the festival." **She said, bowing her head once more. The silent hero collected up the rest of the knitted accessories and helped his companion put them on.

"**Thank you," **Zelda replied to the elder before saying farewell. Her partner had handed her a knitted beret. She removed her knight uniform cap and replaced it with the knitted hat instead, it matched her scarf perfectly. The last piece of the set was a pair of striped mittens. She removed her uniform gloves and put on the mittens, **"What do you think?" **she asked her partner. Link felt his cheeks warm, turning a pinkish hue. He felt his heart race like it was about to beat out his chest. He nodded slowly at her, _she looks so cute,_ he thought to himself. Zelda let out a giggle as she grabbed hold of her companion's hand, pulling him further along in the festival. The kind elder waved them off as they went.

The couple walked around the market, taking a peek at each stall to sample the wares. A lot of them were similar to the elder's pieces, except less knitted and more animal furs, suedes and leather-made accessories. There was a stall, run by Horwell the towering elven assistant to the headmaster, selling riding equipment for loftwings. The leather saddles embossed with a range of patterns; some floral, some with historical symbols and some depicted scenes from nature. They had chosen to only browse at this stall, not in need of any equipment, that was until Zelda noticed a stack of wooden crates beside the tables. She crouched down to take a closer look at the signage, reading _Loftwing Treats _from the sign. She picked up half a dozen bags and paid Horwell for the feed. She thanked him politely before placing the bags inside her satchel, which to Link's surprise was not yet full.

The pair set off once more, taking a slow walk around the market town, arm in arm. Link noticed a particular stall in the distance and pointed it out to his companion. She nodded.

"**Let's go," **Zelda said softly as they began to walk over to the next stall. It was a medium-sized table sitting underneath a warm mustard tent, draped in a warm crimson cloth. On top sat a glass dispenser full of a dark amber liquid. Beside it sat a plate of miniature pumpkin pies. Link's mouth had already begun salivating at the sight.

"**Good morning," **the blonde greeted Pumm, owner of The Lumpy Pumpkin.

"**Ho-oh, happy harvest festival young lady," **the plump man said with a chuckle, **"What can I get for you both?" **he asked pointing at his wares. Zelda thought for a moment before making her decision, humming to herself while she browsed. When she had made her decision she stopped her tune.

"**May I have a few of the pumpkin pies please?" **she asked, then pointed to the glass, **"What is this?" **she queried.

"**Ho-oh, that would be my special spiced apple tea," **Pumm replied beginning to box up half a dozen of the miniature pieces, **"Would you like some?" **he asked.

Zelda nodded, **"Two glasses please," **she replied. Beside her Link nodded along, he was looking forward to sampling the pumpkin pie more than anything. Pumm handed the pair their own glasses to help themselves to the drink dispenser, along with their box of pastries. The blonde handed over the payment in rupees before thanking the shopkeeper. The couple filled up their glasses and decided to headed over to the river bank to sample their treats.

Link took a seat on the grass, holding onto the glasses as his companion positioned herself next to him. Her legs tucked up by her side before opening up the small box of pies. Zelda took her glass from her partner's hand and replaced it with one of the miniature pastries. He licked his lips, desperate to take a bite. The hero was not delicate with how he approached the treat, instead, he shoved the entire thing into his mouth and began chewing loudly. His companion let out a giggle, knowing his stomach always made the decisions.

Zelda took a sip of the warm amber liquid, it was rich in flavor and packed with cinnamon to add a little heat. It was aromatic and sweet, the heat rushing to soothe the chill inside her body.

"**This is lovely," **she said turning to her partner. Her face dropped, noticing his cheeks stuffed like a hamster, he had obviously tried cramming the pies into his mouth too quickly. She shook her head, **"You look silly, Link." **The dirty-blonde felt his chilly cheek ablaze and chewed his treats a little slower before swallowing. He gave his companion and awkward yet goofy smile, to which she replied with another shake of her head.

"**Try the spiced apple tea, it's wonderful," **Zelda said nodding towards his glass, her own drink cupped in her knitted gloves. She took another tea and lipped her soft pink lips, **"I really must ask Pumm for this recipe." **Link picked up his own glass of amber liquid and sampled it himself. He let out a hum, _she's right, this is good, _he thought to himself. He removed the glass from his lips and nodded to his companion.

Zelda had taken another sip of her tea before she turned back to him, **"You like it too?" **she asked him. He nodded before taking another mouthful, **"How do you like the pies?" **she queried with a smile, she already knew the answer to this question. Link nodded quickly, looking down at the half-empty box of treats. He gave his companion another flash of his goofy smile and pushed the cardboard towards her, **"Oh, thank you for saving me a few, Link." **She replied with a giggle and helped herself to one of the pumpkin pies. Zelda took a bite, the pastry was sweet, buttery and complemented the lightly spiced filling. She savored her mouthfuls noticing her companion watch her out the corner of her sapphire eyes.

"**Help yourself to the rest," **she gestured, pushing the treat box back towards him, **"One was more than enough for me," **the blonde said as she finished her mouthful and begun wiping the crumbs away from her lips.

Link smiled at her, his cheeks colored with a warm glow. He gave his companion a nod as a thank you before taking another one of the miniature treats to eat. Zelda couldn't help but smile at him, today had been a lovely day. A perfect harvest festival that would remain embedded in her mind for a long time.

She drained her glass of the spiced amber tea before getting to her feet. She took hold of both their empty glasses, **"I won't be a moment," **she informed her partner before she disappeared back to Pumm's stall. Link overheard her thanking the plump man and complimenting him on his treats. She quickly returned on his side, with a card in her gloves. Link tilted his head to one side and nodded towards her, curious to know what she had there.

"**Oh, Pumm kindly gave me the recipe for the tea. I can't wait to sample it," **Zelda said beaming at her partner as she placed the card in her satchel. Link had just finished the remainder of the pumpkin treats, he got to his feet to join her side. He took his companion's hand and waited for further instruction. The blonde took a look around at the rest of the festival stalls, her sapphires fixed on one in particular.

"**Oh look, Link, they have a craft stall here," **Zelda pointed to a violet tent across the river, **"Can we go take a look?" **She asked him softly. Link nodded, gesturing for her to lead the way. She smiled back at him.

The couple walked hand in hand towards their next destination, absorbing the atmosphere of Skyloft. The harvest festival was rich in color, local produce and a sense of a loving community. It was a beautiful start to the autumn season.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I couldn't resist writing a cutesy autumn-inspired piece.


	11. XI - Name

**Title: **"For the love of Link and Zelda"

**Summary: **Link and Zelda take a trip to the Knight Academy library to look for a particular, but it seems they have forgotten the name of it.

**Warnings/Tags: **Romance, Friendship, Slice-of-Life, Comedy

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to the characters in this story. The characters are copyrighted by Nintendo.

* * *

"**Name"**

* * *

It was a late and cloudy morning on the floating island of Skyloft. The skies were dyed a cold prussian, with a chilly air whistling through the village. The townsfolk had retired from their usual daily duties, with the majority of them seeking refuge in their own warm homes. Over at the Knight Academy, two students were less than bothered about the weather and were more focused on their task at hand.

Zelda waltzed through the corridor, closely followed by her companion, Link. She was dancing about the place, humming to herself. The silent hero watched her, a smile on his lips, nothing filled him with more joy than seeing her happy.

"**Do you think we will be able to find the book?" **she turned around to ask her partner, her arms interlocked behind her back. Link nodded, he didn't see why they wouldn't be able to find what they were looking for, **"Guess it's a good job we decided to go to the library after all." **She said with a sigh, noticing the dark skies brewing outside the window.

The pair took a step closer to the glass to admire the view. Even on the rare occasions when the weather was gloomy, the island of Skyloft was still beautiful. Grey clouds had begun to scatter the prussian sky, ready to disperse at any moment. The couple smiled at one another, they had made a good decision to come to the academy library today.

Zelda pushed herself off the window frame, ushering her companion to follow. Link took hold of her hand, causing her to turn back to him, her cheeks dyed pink. The couple walked a little further down the corridor until they reached the large wooden door leading the library. The silent hero took it upon himself to take a step ahead of his companion, and open the door for her. The blonde-haired girl gave him a quick bow with her hair out of respect. A silent thank you between them both.

Inside the library, sat behind a varnish-oak desk, was a woman in her mid-thirties sipping quietly on a hot beverage and flipping through a tome. She looked up from her page to see the pair walk into her domain. Zelda noticed her gaze and walked up to the counter to greet her.

"**Good morning," **she said politely, recognising the librarian as her classmate Pipit's mother.

"**Good morning," **the librarian replied with a smile, **"Can I help you with something?" **she asked, closing her book as Link joined his companion's side.

The young blonde shook her head, **"I think we're fine, thank you." **

"**Be sure to let me know if there is anything," **she replied, returning her head back to her book. Zelda nodded, taking hold of her companion's hand and leading him towards the fiction section.

The couple looked around at the bookshelves, in the hope they would find what they were after. They searched for an hour, briefly glancing over each spine but had no luck. The blonde-haired girl stood with her hands on her hips, a confused look plastered across her face. She was sure the book was here. It had to be. Link reappeared from behind one of the bookshelves holding a children's fiction book in his hand. He held it up for his partner to take a look.

"**What do you have there, Link?" **she asked him, curious to know what he found. Her companion handed her the book illustrated with a beautiful watercolor painting of a duckling on the front, **"Oh. The ugly duckling," **she said softly, running her fingers across the cover. While it was a book she had heard when he was younger, it wasn't the book she was after. She shook her head and handed the book back to him, **"It's not this one, but thank you." **Her companion nodded and returned the book back to its shelf.

Zelda skimmed her finger across the shelf beside her, taking a look at each spine. She felt Link return to her and turned back to him, **"I remember a little more about the book," **she said quietly, not wanting to annoy the librarian. The silent hero folded his arms across his chest and nodded slowly, wanting to hear what she had to say.

She noticed a group of plush bean bag chairs sitting upon the mat that decorated the floor and gestured for the pair of them to sit. Link agreed following her over to the seats. Zelda slumped back, ungracefully, into the bean bag, letting out a giggle as she stumbled. Her companion copied her action, repeating her mistake, wincing from the shock.

"**I remember a little more about the illustrations I saw inside the book," **she begun, interlocking her fingers in her lap, **"Something to do with a fish, or something similar. It was definitely a book that had a lot of water." **She continued, racking her mind for something that would help. Her companion nodded, understanding the details she was retelling. He raised his index finger up, indicating he needed a minute, she nodded watching him dash off to another bookshelf a short distance away.

Zelda continued to sit on her bean bag and look around at the bookshelves sitting beside her. She gazed up at one shelf, with a particular book catching her sapphire-dyed eyes. She stood up, taking a step closer to the shelf. A small book had been placed as the pride of the shelf, something the library did weekly showcasing their personal recommendations or new books that had come in. The edges were worn in places, with the cover illustration a little scuffed. The book had all the signs of a well-loved children's novel that had been cherished by all those who had read it.

The blonde-haired student took the book in her pale hands, turning it over a few times. She glanced at the blurb on the back, decorated as a scroll and edges in seashells. _Could this be it, _Zelda thought to herself, turning the book back to the cover. It certainly featured the sea with a half-woman, half-fish illustrated on the front. She kept the book in her arms and returned to her bean bag just in time for Link to reappear, carrying a small stack of books in his arms. He took his seat beside her, excited to show his companion the novels he had found.

Not to break his heart, Zelda happily looked through the books with him so his hard work did not go to waste. He handed the first book, a scratchy illustration of a whale sat on the front cover. She took it from him and flipped through a couple of the pages before shaking her blonde hair and giving it back. Link frowned, offering her another book. Once again she accepted it kindly and flicked through a few of the pages but shook her head once more before returning it back to him. He produced another, a watercolor painting of a sea horse decorated the cover.

"**Oh, Link, this one isn't a fiction book." **She said, realising the book he had given her was about the wildlife under the sea. She let out a soft giggle but was quickly shushed by the librarian in the distance. Zelda placed a pale hand to her lips and mouthed _oops_ to her companion. She handed the wildlife book back to him. Link felt his cheek flush pink with embarrassment, _how did he overlook that?_ He replaced the book with a fiction one this time, featuring an orange clown-fish and a blue surgeonfish on the front.

"**This one look interesting," **Zelda replied, turning the book over to read the blurb before flipping through a couple of the pages, heavily illustrated by, what she believed, was the story. It was prominently a picture book aimed at smaller children, **"But the target audience should be older. This is for small children," **she said handing the book back to him. The couple sat comfortably in their bean bags going through the rest of the fiction books the silent hero had gathered. But none of them had been the one Zelda was looking for. That book still remained close by her side, almost like a trump card.

Link was down to his last novel, with a stack of discarded books to his left side that he would have to return once they were finished. He was not looking forward to that particular task. The last book was decorated more plainly than the other novels showcased before it. It was one of the older books with a worn leather cover with gold script carved into the fabric. Zelda took the novel in her hands and was surprised to see the title that was written on the cover.

"**You found it," **she spoke softly, almost finding it difficult to believe that there had been two copies of her favourite book hiding in the library, **"Thank you, Link." **She said, smiling at him and the book in turn. But inside she felt a little guilty, she too had found the book she remembered from her childhood.

Zelda looked down towards the floor, her pale hands clutching onto the hem of her cerise dress, **"Link, I must confess something." **She spoke, barely audible to anyone except her companion. The silent hero edged closer to hear her better, tilting his head to one side, confused with what she was about to inform him. He watched as she produced a copy of the same book, but with an illustrated cover. She placed both books side by side.

"**I also found the book," **Zelda continued to explain, her hands smoothing over the leather-bound copy, **"Truth be told. I thought only one copy existed in the academy," **she whispered, not wanting to be scolded again, **"But this one," **she said holding up the copy she had located, **"Was the one I remember as a child." **The blonde-haired student opened the book revealing the beautiful watercolor illustrations inside the book that featured very little text on each page and instead was dominated by the pictures.

"**My mother used to read this to me when I was younger," **Zelda explained, running her fingertips against the image of the half-woman half-fish character, **"I enjoyed the story, despite the sad ending it has. I always hoped that the water creature truly existed." **She said pointing at the main character, she believed to be called Ariel. Link gestured towards the book, he had not heard the story himself.

"**Have you not heard the little mermaid before?" **his companion asked. The silent hero shook his head, his cheeks dyed a deeper shade of pink from embarrassment. He had not lived a normal childhood. He never knew his parents and never had the opportunity to hear a bedtime story.

"**Would you like me to read it to you?" **Zelda asked politely, not wanting to offend him, but desperately wanted to share her favourite childhood novel with her partner. Link nodded, _I'd like that, _he thought to himself. His companion smiled back at him, **"I'll just go check out the two copies whilst you put away the others. Something tells me the librarian wouldn't appreciate us reading this book aloud," **she replied with a sigh, tucking both the novels under her arm before getting to her boots. Link followed her lead, gathering up the discarded book pile to return to the bookshelves whilst Zelda headed over to the front desk.

"**Hello again," **she said politely to the librarian, who smiled back.

"**Just these two?" **the older woman asked, putting down her cup of black coffee and standing up on her feet. Zelda nodded, **"Very well, allow me to stamp them for you," **the librarian replied, picking up her small stamp. She dabbed it into an ink pad before stamping a slip of paper on the inside cover of the books and pushing them back towards their new owner. **"All finished for you. I hope you enjoy them." **She smiled once more before returning to her seat. The blonde-haired student bowed her head in respect, thanking the librarian before making her way towards the door.

Zelda had only been waiting a few minutes when Link rejoined her side. He held out his arm and allowed his companion to interlock her arm in his. The couple set off back to his bedchambers.

Link sat upright on his bed, his back rested against his wooden headboard with his companion tucked up in his arms. The pair of them had a steaming mug of cocoa, provided to them by the academy kitchen staff - a perfect treat on a cold and rainy autumn evening, particularly with a good book to read. This moment couldn't have been spoiled by anything. The ambiance of the rain tapping lightly on his bedroom window, the warmth of their bodies close together and Zelda softly reading her favourite childhood novel for her partner to enjoy. This moment was truly perfect.


	12. XII - Vault

**Title: **"Vault"

**Summary: **Link and Zelda find an old scroll on Hallow's Eve and find it is a secret map to the vault of the Goddess.

**Warnings/Tags: **Romance, Friendship, Slice-of-Life, Comedy

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to the characters in this story. The characters are copyrighted by Nintendo.

* * *

"**Chapter XII: Vault"  
**

* * *

It was Hallow's Eve on the floating island of Skyloft. A special event lasting only one day where the students of the Knight academy were allowed to come into class wearing costumes. All the students were gathered like a rubble, in the class with their instructor Owlan standing at the helm of the room. The class wasn't due for several more minutes, most of the students had took it upon themselves to talk with their peers.

Zelda, a beautiful blonde-haired girl, sat at the front of the class wearing a long plum-dyed dress with off-the-shoulder draped sleeves. She had placed her matching hat on the side of her wooden desk so to not obstruct her classmates view of the chalkboard. The whole ensemble had taken a couple of weeks to prepare by hand. She had been planning the project since she first saw the flyer in the corridor, and had even helped make her companion's outfit as well.

Link had taken the seat beside his partner wearing a makeshift pirate costume he had asked Zelda to help make. He had given little instruction and told her about it last minute, several days ago in fact, showing her an illustration in a children's book. He wore a crumpled white shirt paired with striped tight fitting trousers and his signature brown boots. He had even tied a bandana in his dirty blonde hair and strapped his training sword to his hip.

The instructor tapped on the chalkboard thrice and cleared his throat, almost immediately the students dispersed and took their seats. Half of the faces in the crowd looked bored out of their minds, including Groose and his gang of cronies sitting in the back row. The redhead wore a half-suit of armour, but it was clear just by looking at it, it wasn't a handmade costume. His cronies were dressed to match with Cawlin dressed as a palace jester and Strich, a kitchen hand.

"**Good morning students," **Owlan said with a warm and welcoming tone, **"Today is Hallow's Eve, a celebration of the end of summer." **The classroom groaned in response, the end of summer meant more homework for the students. Their instructor laughed, he too had felt the same way back in his youth, **"Now, now class. I have something exciting for you all to do today. An expedition of sorts," **he said with a smile. Owlan moved behind his rickety desk and pick up half a dozen scrolls and placed them on the desk, each carefully rolled and wrapped with twine. **"Please get into pairs, it is essential for this task," **he added quickly.

Without hesitation Groose launched himself towards the front of the classroom, in a bid to be partnered with Zelda, but fell at the last second face planting the cold wooden floor. The blonde-haired girl whipped her head around at the noise, noticing the redhead on the floor. She winced and reached to grab her companion's hand. Link felt his cheeks flush red, once again she had chosen him over everyone else. Zelda got up from her seat and walked over to the instructor's desk with her companion in tow, picking up her witches hat as she went.

Link picked up one of the scrolls while his partner placed her hat back on top of her head. Her blonde hair was tied back in a loose bun with her bangs braided, framing her pale cheeks. The pair shuffled to one side of the classroom enabling their peers to come and collect theirs. Groose had eventually got back to his feet, after refusing the help of his cronies, he certainly didn't want to injure his wounded pride any further. He shuffled to the front of the class and reluctantly picked up his own scroll.

Once all the student had each gathered their own scroll for their team, Owlan clapped his hands and the class fell silent once more, **"Now you have your scrolls, I ask you now to disperse in your pairs and read this scroll," **he said with a smirk. **"What you hold in your hands is a riddle you must decipher. The winning pair will bag themselves a wonderful surprise." **He winked, not wishing to share too many details with his students, **"But there are a few rules you will need to abide by, before you disappear," **he raised his voice an octave noticing a couple of students had begun tiptoeing out of the room. They immediately stopped in their tracks and turned around.

"**Wonderful," **Owlan continued, clapping his hands once more, **"And under no circumstances may you seek advice from anyone who is not in your pair. And yes, I have eyes and ears everywhere. Secondly, the deadline for this is midnight tonight and finally you must obtain something that is detailed in the riddle and bring it to the Goddess statue at the north most point of Skyloft." **He smiled at his students, the rules were clear enough, he thought, **"Any questions?" **he asked the class, throwing his hands up. The crowd of students shook their heads in unison. **"Good. You may begin, good luck to you all." **

Every student gathered up their things and made a mad dash towards the door, with Groose and his cronies leading the rabble. Link put a hand at to his temple and shook his head, some things never change, he thought to himself as he and his companion took a slow walk out of the room via the second door.

A little while later the pair had built their own fortress of solitude in the back of the library, both knowing it was the only place they wouldn't be distracted by their classmates. Zelda had brought along some homemade biscuits in a little pouch she had rested on the table whilst they poured themselves over the scroll. Link was happily munching away on the snacks, half lying on the cushions while Zelda was carefully deciphering the text.

"**On hallow's eve not one shalt beest spared, the children of lighteth might not but he'd to mine own calleth. i has't did hide something special for thee to findeth. Venture out into mine own floating island, and searcheth for the pointeth where the star doest meets the landeth. There thee shall findeth mine own secret, enshielf deep within the catacomb of mine own being, whisper doth not speaketh, and there thee shall findeth the answer thee seeketh. Returneth the prize at the island summit, before the final hour strikes the horologe. May the odds beest in thy favor, young knight," **she read aloud, struggling with the wording. It was an old language she had come across before in one of her books but she wasn't completely sure where. Zelda placed her index finger to her pink lips while she pondered the text further.

Link read her like a book, not knowing how to tackle this riddle was frustrating her. Her rosy cheeks had puffed out a little while she thought with her blonde brow knitted tightly together. He threw her a concerned glance, raising an eyebrow, he could of sworn he had since steam puffing out of her ears. Suddenly his companion slammed her hands on the table and stood up in anger, knocking the pouch of the snacks onto the floor. Luckily, Link thought to himself, he was able to catch it just in time, salvaging the sweet buttery biscuits.

"**I know this language, I'm sure of it," **she said aloud, shaking her head, **"But where is another question entirely." **She continued with a sigh and slumped back onto her small pile of cushions. Zelda rested her head on the surface of the table and sighed once more. Her companion was left bewildered by the scene that had just unfolded in front of his ocean-dyed eyes. He put the pouch back to its original spot and placed a hand on his partner's shoulder and gave it a gentle rub.

Zelda slowly raised her head off of the wooden surface and gave him a flash of a smile, **"I appreciate your help, but it's getting to me. It makes very little sense without a proper translation," **she explained picking up the parchment once more. She glanced over the words once more, reading them in her head, **"Hold on." **She said suddenly, slamming the page onto the table, **"I do know this. It's an old Shakespearean language, used by a famous poet I read once," **she announced aloud, accidentally throwing her partners hand off her shoulder. She proceeded to read the riddle once more, this time substituting the unknown words to their native tongue;

"**On Hallow's Eve not one shall be spared, the children of light must heed to my call, I have hid something special for you to find. Venture out in my floating island, and search for the point where the star meets the land. There you will find my secret, hidden deep within the catacomb of my being, whisper do not speak, and there you will find the answer you seek. Return the prize at the island summit, before the final hour strikes the clock. May the odds be in your favor, young knight," **she said.

Link had sat back in his cushions, resting his fist under his chin, deep in thought. It started to make sense at least, he thought. He turned to look up at the clock hanging on the opposite wall and immediately cursed himself for looking. He tapped quickly onto the wooden table and pointed up to it.

Zelda turned her head to follow his finger and noticed the time for herself, **"We better get going Link or we won't meet the deadline," **she replied with a speak, hurrying herself to tidy up so they could leave in that instance.

The couple made their way back through the corridors of the Knight Academy, the blonde-haired girl still with her sapphire orbs glued to the parchment. Link walked beside her, steering her out of the way of incoming traffic down the hallway, flashing his goofy awkward smile at the other academy students. His companion had successfully deciphered the riddle, hinting that the phrase _'not one shall be spared_' had meant their class instructed to complete the task. It was clear the pair had to locate an item somewhere on the isle of Skyloft, something that had once belong to the Goddess Hylia herself. That was Zelda's assumption anyway. They ventured outside of the academy to continue their search for the _'point where the star meets the land,' _the blonde-haired girl baffled by what it meant.

She turned to her companion, **"Did you ever find something like that on your travels?" **she asked him. He had always been quite reserved about his journey when he sought out to rescue her all those years ago. He thought about it for a moment, twisting his face up as his mind ran away with itself.

'_There was the light tower,' _he thought to himself. It was a situated at the south-most point of Skyloft and was a relic of old, left behind by the Goddess. Link looked around the surrounding area, trying to focus his blue orbs on his target, once it was in sight he nudged his companion gently and pointed her in the direction of the light tower. Zelda turned to follow his finger and noticed what he was trying to tell her. She nodded in reply to show she understood what he meant.

"**Well then, let's make haste," **she said with a grin plastered across her pale. Her companion looked at her lovingly, a bright glow warming his cheeks as he was whisked off by the arm without a care in the world, as long as he was with her.

The pair of trainee knights stood at the top of the Light tower, a grand white-stone tower that guarded the isle. Zelda had placed a hand to her brow trying to following the clue from the riddle, trying ever so hard to find the _'point where the star meets the land'._

"**What are we missing?" **she thought aloud, pacing about the place. Link had taken it upon himself to take a risky seat on the stone structure, trying to catch his breath from the run. His companion had her blonde brows knitted tightly together with a puzzled look on her face. She had been facing out towards the clouds, beginning to watch the sun set on the horizon. The deadline was swiftly approaching. But in that moment, just as Zelda turned around to face Skyloft she noticed something in the distance.

"**What is that?" **she queried aloud, unable to decipher what her sapphire eyes were showing her. She took a few quick steps to the other side of the tower, startling her partner in the process. And that's when she saw it, a glint of the first star that would appear that evening. She ran to her companions side, shaking him slightly to grab his attention, **"Link, I think I've figured it out!" **she exclaimed audibly.

Link threw her a half dazed look, and scratched the back of his dirty-blonde hair before getting to his feet and stretching out his lethargic body. He tried to follow her gaze but drew nothing but blanks, he shrugged and shook his head. He didn't quite understand what she was telling him. Zelda sighed and pulled him gently closer and pointed to the opposite side of the floating island.

"**The Isle of the Goddess," **she said softly, making his hairs stand on end, **"That is the point in which the first evening star meets the land. That means the catacomb of my being, is in fact, the Vault of the Goddess," **there was excitement laced in her voice. But it was short lived when she realised one vital piece of information, **"But no one has ever found a way into the vault." **She said with a frown and began to sulk.

Link grimaced, he thought back to his rescue mission and remembered having enter a sacred chamber to retrieve the Goddess Sword, and ancient relic left behind by Hylia herself. Then it hit them, _'is that the treasure we are supposed to be looking for?'_ he asked himself. Not a second later he felt the prying blue eyes of his companion on him and flashed his goofy smile.

But Zelda could read him like a book, **"You've been there before, haven't you?" **she asked raising her blonde eyebrows up at him. Link gave her a quick nod of his head sheepishly to agree. His companion clapped her hands together with a big grin on her pink lips, **"What are we waiting for? Let's go." **She replied, grabbing the dirty-blonde boy by the arm and hauling him back down the tower and onto their next destination.

The couple found themselves at the base of the Goddess statue. A portrait carved in pure white stone in honor of Hylia herself. Through the years that it stood the once pure chalky surface had now become littered with moss. Zelda looked up at the towering structure and let out a loud gasp, she had rarely taken the time to look at the statue from this angle.

"**Where to now?" **she turned to ask her companion. Link walked closer to the stone, examining the base of the statue for an indent of sorts. A small hole in the wall revealed itself to him, he removed his sword from his leather sheath and slid it inside the indent. A rumbling shook the ground they were standing on. The hero rushed to his companions side, noticing she was struggling to keep her balance. In front of them the stone door rose up into the structure, revealing an opening in the rock.

Link took his partner by the hand and led her into the cavern. The pair were welcomed into the Chamber of the Sword by a chilly rush of air and a silent eerie hum from the pedestal in the center of the room. The hero pleaded with his partner to stay behind him, in his own special way, and took slow steps towards the stone. It had been several years since he had land been inside this chamber. Several years had passed since he had said farewell to a faithful old friend, returning her to an eternal slumber.

He turned around to face his companion and tapped on his chest with a single fist. As the hero he planned to do this part of the challenge alone. Zelda nodded so show she understood what he was trying to say. She reluctantly let go of his hand and allowed him to continue. Link flashed her a reassuring smile before walking up to the pedestal. He paused, taking a deep breath before touching the sword. Link pulled it from the hilt. Suddenly a wave of bright white light erupted from the stone and flooded the room. He held the sword above his head proudly, they had completed the task. The hero turned back around to face his companion, sheathing the Goddess sword in his leather holster.

Zelda immediately ran to his side with a big grin plastered across her pale face, squealing in delight at him. She wrapped her slender arms around his neck and embraced him with love. Nothing could spoil this moment, except without a watch or clock insight they had no idea whether or not they were going to make the deadline in time.

She pulled away from her companion with a pained look across her face, **"Maybe we should make our way to the summit?" **she suggested quickly, shuffling away from him. Both of them becoming flustered with their true feelings for the other, their cheeks ablaze with a soft red hue. Link gave a nod to reply and took his partners hand, his other resting on the blade he had just retrieved.

Thankfully they had made it to the summit with a handful of minutes left till the deadline struck. Owlan was stood at the head of the class, his fingers interlocked behind his back. Beside him stood the headmaster of the Knight Academy, Gaepora with his bulky hands resting on his belt. The pair joined the rest of the ramble and bowed to their leader.

"**Glad to see so many of you try your hand at this task Owlan has instructed you on," **Gaepora's deep voice bellowed out to the crowd. He gave a hearty chuckle, **"And what a beautiful array of items you have all collected." **He looked at each of the students, each pair holding tightly onto a different relic or object they believe to be the sacred treasure of the Goddess Hylia.

"**But of course Sir, there can only be one winning team," **Owlan added and pulled out his own copy of the written riddle, **"As you may had deuced the riddle was written in the ancient language of Shakespearean." **There was a little chatter amongst the students, each pair trying to get a look in at their classmates items.

Gaepora and Owlan gathered up the students and instructed them to form a line to present their items. Zelda bit her pink lip nervously, wondering if Link and she had found the correct item after all. Then she felt the warmth of her partner's hand on hers. Her cheeks were set aflame. One by one the pairs were instructed to present their items; one group had shown a small golden trinket, which they explained, had been found in the light tower.

Next it was time for Groose and his cronies to step forward to present their item, a crystal ball. It was the one Sparrot from the market bazaar never let out of his sight, which could of only meant one thing, the cronies had stolen it from him. Zelda knitted her blonde eyebrows in anger, how could they have done such a thing. The headmaster, much like his daughter, had also frowned when he realised what the item was, clearly the trio of boys hadn't given a care in the world about the task and ordered them to partake in immediate detention.

Finally it was Link and Zelda's turn to have their relic examined. The hero presented the sword to the headmaster, the crystal-like blade glistened in the moonlight. Gaepora let out a throaty chuckle.

**"I should have known you two would of been the successful ones," **he said with a smile, **"Congratulations to you both." **He added with a nod. He turned around to face Owlan and said, **"I believe these two bright sparks are worthy of your prize." **The headmaster chuckled again turning back to wink at his own daughter. Of course she and her companion had been successful, there was little doubt in his mind. Their instructor bowed his head to Gaepora, naturally he agreed.

Link and Zelda were made champions of the class, each receiving a beautiful saddle bag each, handcrafted with leather for their loft wings. The pair thanked their instructor before disappearing into the Hallow's Eve festivities, walking hand in hand under the moonlight.

* * *

**Author's Note; **In the story I used traditional Shakespearean language which for ease and comfort I have chosen to include the translation into standard English. For those unaware, William Shakespeare was a famous poet and playwright from England. His work is known by many. I thought it would be interesting to try something new with my writing. Below is the translation for the scroll.

**Translation for the scroll, written in old Shakespearean;  
****"**On Hallow's Eve not one shall be spared, the children of light must heed to my call, I have hid something special for you to find. Venture out in my floating island, and search for the point where the star meets the land. There you will find my secret, hidden deep within the catacomb of my being, whisper do not speak, and there you will find the answer you seek. Return the prize at the island summit, before the final hour strikes the clock. May the odds be in your favor, young knight."


	13. XIII - Crime

**Title:** "Crime"

**Summary:** Written in first person with the POV of Link posing as a Private Inspector.

**Warnings/Tags:** Romance, Friendship, Slice-of-Life, Comedy

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to the characters in this story. The characters are copyrighted by Nintendo.

* * *

"**Chapter XIII: Crime"**

* * *

It was late night in early November. I was sat at my desk filling out the remainder of the paperwork for my latest case with a cold glass of pumpkin juice in hand. I remember it all so clearly, the window was barely cracked open yet still I felt the chilly breeze from outside. My name is Link, I'm what one might refer to as a Private Inspector or P.I for short. The residents of the floating island of Skyloft turn to me when the real authorities push them away. I can't say business is booming but it's coming in every now and then, and tonight was no exception. Just when I thought I was finished for the evening; I drained my cup of the spiced vegetable juice when I noticed the most gorgeous little filly standing in my doorway.

She had such beautiful pair of sapphire eyes, an ocean I would love to swim endlessly in. Her bright yellow-blonde hair was straight, cascading down her back with her bang braided with white ribbon. She wore a large brimmed cream hat that had half-helped conceal her identity from my prying gaze. The little lamb had walked sheepishly into my domain, with a cluster of crystal tears in the corner of her eyes that she dabbed away with a silk cloth. I couldn't help but fall in love the moment I set my eyes on her.

I offered her a seat and she took it gladly. It took all of half hour for her to explain her woes to me. Her name was Zelda, daughter to the Mayor of our village. She had lost her precious amulet, a gift handed down to her by her dearly departed mother. She explained it was the only thing that remained of her, she was undeniably heart-broken over the situation. I told her to put her trust in me for I would get her missing amulet returned to her before the week was over. She thanked me for my kind words before leaving, I admit I was overcome with a silly school boy crush I couldn't stop myself grinning from ear to ear. Yet again I had thrown myself at the mercy of a beautiful young woman with no lead to start my investigation on. But I took my sorry behind home, unable to sleep a wink at all that night.

The next morning I got myself back into the office and thought a little more on my predicament. I needed somewhere to start my investigation and fast, especially if I wanted to complete it by the end of the week. The young lady Zelda had given very little details about the amulet's disappearance, or had I just not been listening. I fumbled about my desk desperately looking for my pocket notebook. I managed to locate it inside the top right drawer. I flicked through the book, trying to retrace my steps. She had in fact given me a number of details to follow up on; it was a silver necklace with an opal-stone pendant in the centre. She had also informed me that she last seen it before she went to sleep two nights prior to visiting me, she awoke the next morning to find the amulet had disappeared from her night stand.

Then it hit me, the first place I needed to begin my investigation was at the young lady's address. The thought of having to hunt for clues around her bedroom left me feeling a little flustered, but it had to be done. I picked up my dark-green coat from the back of my chair and my matching fedora off my desk and hightailed it over to her place.

When I arrived, I had to knock twice before the young lady answered. She wore a pearly smile at me and happily invited me inside. It was a small house with no immediate visible signs of forced entry. I asked her if she would mind if I took a look around. She was more than happy to oblige with my request and offered to make me a hot beverage. It would have been rude of me not to accept.

I swept the downstairs; checking every possibly way into the property but no door nor window revealed any sign of being pried open. Was there something I was missing? A few moments later I was handed some coffee, perfect for engaging my brain into detective mode. With both her permission and her supervision I inspected her bedroom, paying close attention to the nightstand in question. Nothing seemed to appear out of the ordinary, until I heard a click behind me. I turned around to face Zelda, noticing a loaded gun pointed towards me. She wore a smirk on her pink lips and in her other hand she held up her missing amulet.

She explained how it had all been a rouse to get me alone, the infamous Private Inspector Link of Skyloft or as she preferred to call me, the wolf. She blamed me for a catastrophe that befell her father's business many moons ago, back when I was still a rookie in the academy. I was the one who exposed his lies, I was the one who had sent him to jail. Despite the little time he served and finally got out on bail there was still a grudge to be held.

That's when I felt it. The steel bullet piercing through my abdomen. I coughed, throwing my hand to my mouth only to splatter crimson tears all over it. I didn't dare ask why; I already knew the answer. This beautiful woman had tricked me, and like a fly into a spiderweb, I was her willing prey. I fell to the ground, my vision beginning to fade. The only thing I could hear ringing in my ears when I lost all consciousness was her voice calling out my name.

"**Link…"**

"**Link,"** a soft voice of an angel seemed to call out to me, **"Open your eyes Link."** I began to stir in my sleep, thinking five more minutes. But the voice continued to persist, "Wake up you sleepy head," she said with a giggle. I felt my eyes flutter open slowly to see the woman in my dreams towering over me. A wave of happiness overcame me. I was more than happy to wake up now.


End file.
